High Growth Rural Business of the Year
Recognising rural businesses with exceptional commercial growth and scalable ambition.
The High Growth Rural Business of the Year award celebrates the rural businesses scaling fastest: those turning ambition into real, measurable growth in turnover, jobs and reach.
If your business has put its foot down over the past year, this is your category.
Who should enter
Any rural business that has achieved rapid, sustained growth, whether through new markets, products, investment or acquisition. Scale-ups, fast-growing farms and rural SMEs on a steep upward curve are all a strong fit.
What judges look for
- Growth rate in turnover, customers or output over the past one to three years.
- Jobs created and investment made to fuel that growth.
- How the business overcame rural-specific barriers to scaling.
- A credible plan to sustain growth into the future.
How to enter
Entry is free and takes one online form. Read the how to enter guide, then start your entry. Many high-growth businesses also enter Rural Business of the Year.
Scaling often means investment; rural growth funding is summarised on GOV.UK’s funding pages for rural and farming businesses.
Entry Tips
- Use specific figures — revenue, %, headcount, acreage, customers served.
- Back claims with evidence: coverage, quotes, accreditations, photos.
- Focus on the last 24 months of performance.
- Read the criteria carefully and answer them directly.
