Judging Criteria
The Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards identify and celebrate the exceptional international trading successes of UK SMEs from across the country.
Only our small awards team, made up of DBT officials, who shortlist the entries, and four judges for your category will have access to the information provided in your submission. This includes independent panel members from Lloyds Bank and the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade. All information supplied in your application will be treated as commercial in confidence.
Areas of focus when judging the awards include:
- International success and growth potential of the business through exports
- Leadership and innovation in international trade
- Value and contribution of exports to business expansion
- Overall commitment to growth through international trade
- The number of new jobs that have been created as a result of selling internationally, as an indicator of business growth
Submissions that include lots of statistical business data to back up analysis will score particularly well.
Judging criteria weighting – sector categories
The following questions do not get scored, but are used as background information for our judges:
- Which countries do you currently export to?
- How long have you been exporting?
- What percentage of your revenue comes from exporting?
- What percentage of your exports are to Europe vs rest of world?
- How many jobs have been created as a result of selling internationally?
The following questions are scored by our judges in the review process:
Q: To what extent have exports helped to grow and improve your business?
A score of 0-4 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 25% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to show excellent demonstration of growth, a strong level of evidence, with reference to how exporting has improved the wider business (such as operations, culture, etc.)
Q: What is your strategy for selecting international markets and how do you tailor your product or service offering accordingly?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 18.75% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to show an excellent demonstration of your strategy, with strong level of evidence and statistics for market differentiation.
Q: What challenges have you faced on your exporting journey and how have you overcome them?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 18.75% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to provide a strong account of the challenges you have faced internationally, with a good level of detail, including how you overcame these challenges. This might include statistical evidence, where appropriate.
Q: What are your future exporting plans and, if successful, how would they impact your company’s projected growth?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 18.75% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to give an excellent demonstration of how exporting will contribute to future growth plans, including a clear roadmap and robust strategy for future expansion, with a clear understanding of any mentioned future markets, including good statistical evidence.
Q: How does exporting make your business stand out in your sector?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 18.75% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to give a well-defined account of the sector landscape and your company’s position within this, with a strong level of detail around your competitors and market differentiation.
Judging criteria weighting – Export Services Category
For our export support services businesses, submissions will be judged as per the below, given the different submission form.
The following questions are not scored, but are used for background for the judges:
- How many UK companies did you help to export in 2024?
- How long have you been helping UK companies to export?
- What percentage of your company’s 2024 revenue can be attributed to helping UK businesses to export?
The following questions are scored by our judges in the review process:
Q. What is your company’s future growth strategy (including targets) for helping more UK SMEs to export?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 25% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to provide an overview of an excellent, robust strategy – with targets and relevant detail – which explains in a clear and compelling way how you will help UK companies export. You will demonstrate an excellent understanding of your UK customers and international markets.
If you have any questions about the mark scheme guidance or how your category will be judged, please contact: UKMarketing@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Q: Given the cultural nuances across international markets, how have you adapted your service to help your UK customers export there?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 25% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to give an excellent demonstration of adapting your service for different markets, with a strong level of statistics and supporting information, with in-depth, interesting or useful learnings about cultural nuances you encountered.
Q: What challenges or barriers have you faced regarding helping your UK customers export, and how have you overcome them?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 25% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to provide a strong account of the challenges, and a good level of detail on the strategy that enabled you to overcome these challenges. This might include statistics, where appropriate.
Q: To what extent has your business been instrumental in enabling others to export? Why do you merit this award?
A score of 0-3 points is awarded for this, meaning it accounts for 25% of the overall weighting.
To score the top mark, you will need to show an excellent demonstration of how you have helped UK businesses to export, and the impact it’s had, with a compelling and detailed explanation of why you should win the award. This should include statistics, where appropriate.
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