A capital city deserves capital ambition.
Cardiff has changed more in a generation than most cities do in a century. Its businesses drove that change: the founders who started here, the firms that grew here, and the people who chose to build their working lives in Wales' capital.
The Cardiff Excellence Awards exist to recognise that excellence, in every sector and at every size, and to celebrate what the city has become.
Proud of Cardiff.
Proud of Wales.
Proud of the people who built it.
Cardiff has transformed. Its businesses made that happen.
A founder who came back to Wales to build something at home.
A creative studio in the city working with clients around the world.
An arcade shop that has served the city for three generations.
A tech firm proving you do not need to be in London to lead.
A team that turned a small office into a Welsh success story.
Cardiff is full of excellence.
This is where it gets recognised.
“You helped make Cardiff what it is.”
“Wales should know your name.”
Excellence that Cardiff can be proud of.
Ambition
Thinking bigger than anyone expected from a Welsh business.
Creativity
The creative and digital talent Cardiff has become known for.
Service
The warmth customers remember and return for.
Growth
Businesses growing jobs and opportunity in the capital.
Welsh pride
Firms that carry Wales with them wherever they trade.
Community
Making Cardiff a better city to live and work in.
Every part of the capital has its excellence.
From the Bay to the city centre and every district around it, the Cardiff Excellence Awards are for everyone building something here.
The Returner
Who came home to Wales to build something.
The Creative
Making work in Cardiff that the world wants.
The Independent
Part of what makes the city centre unique.
The Tech Founder
Leading from Wales, not London.
The Growing Team
Hiring Welsh talent and keeping it here.
The Community Champion
Giving back to the city that backs them.
Which one sounds like you, or a Cardiff business you know?
Excellence is not just for the big names.
Some of the best businesses in Cardiff are small, local and known only to the people who love them.
Perhaps you are one of the newest businesses in the city.
Perhaps you are one of the oldest.
Perhaps you built something through a very difficult few years.
Perhaps you are winning work far beyond Wales.
Perhaps your team is small but remarkable.
Perhaps Cardiff should hear about it.
The question isn't:
“Are we good enough to enter?”
A better question might be:
“Is there excellence in our story?”
Recognition in the capital can travel across Wales.
Credibility
Independent recognition can reassure customers and partners across Wales and beyond.
Profile
It gives you a reason to share your story with the wider Welsh business community.
Pride
A night the whole team will remember.
Connections
An evening with the people shaping Cardiff business.
Talent
Recognition can help attract people who want to stay and work in Wales.
Legacy
A recognised year becomes part of your story.
Some of Cardiff's best are far too modest to enter.
They may say:
“It's only what we do.”
“There are better businesses than us.”
“We don't need the fuss.”
And sometimes that is exactly why somebody else needs to say:
“What you do is excellent.”
“Cardiff should know.”
“You deserve to be recognised.”
If a Cardiff business came to mind, perhaps you are the one to put them forward.
Recognition only matters when it is earned.
The value of an award depends on the integrity behind it, so the way entries are judged should be clear before anyone enters.
Free to enter
Nominating and entering cost nothing. No category depends on buying a ticket, a table or a package.
Independent judging
Entries are scored by an independent panel, not by the organisers, working under a confidentiality agreement.
Read moreClear criteria
Every category publishes what the judges look for, so you can read it before you enter.
Read moreConflicts managed
Judges declare any conflict of interest and stand aside from the entries it touches.
Read moreSponsors support the awards. They never decide the results.
From a name to the night itself.
Discover
Find the award category that fits the achievement best.
Nominate
Nominate your own business, or a Cardiff business that deserves it.
Tell the story
Share what was achieved, and the difference it made.
Judging
Eligible entries are judged against the published criteria.
Recognition
Finalists and winners are celebrated at the awards.
Cardiff is ready to celebrate. Is your story part of it?
Maybe it is the founder who came home.
Maybe it is the independent in the arcades.
Maybe it is the team behind a remarkable year.
Or maybe it is you.
Don't ask whether you're excellent enough.
Ask whether your story deserves to be told.