New firms are the lifeblood of any growing economy, creating wealth, developing innovation and, most importantly, generating jobs in local communities.

With research showing that new businesses create the majority of employment in most countries, they make the real difference in improving prosperity across Wales every day.

The Wales Start-Up Awards were established in 2015 to recognise the achievements of those amazing individuals who have had a great idea, spotted the opportunity and taken the risks to launch a new product or service. Such entrepreneurs and their new ventures in North, Mid and South Wales are the unsung heroes of the business community. 

They are also currently the only awards in the UK that focus specifically on celebrating the success of new businesses.

The Wales Start-Up Awards are held every year in partnership with the Depot, Cardiff's events venue where the start-up community can come together in an informal and relaxed atmosphere to celebrate the best of Welsh entrepreneurship.

This year's event takes place on Friday 19th June and the deadline to enter the awards close on 27th March.

To be eligible to enter, businesses must have started to trade on or after 1st June 2017, be based in Wales and be independently owned.

The Awards have been designed to be make the application and judging process as simple as possible. 

Following receipt of entries, the judges will draw up a shortlist of a minimum of three finalists for each award who will then be interviewed in the week of the 11th May by a panel of judges. 

The interviews will be the process by which the winner of each category is chosen.

The Wales Start-Up Awards have the following awards in 2020:

- Business to Business Services Start-Up of the Year
- Cardiff Start-Up of the Year
- Construction Start-Up of the Year
- Consumer Services Start-Up of the Year
- Creative Start-Up of the Year
- Cyber Start-Up of the Year
- Digital Start-Up of the Year
- Financial and Professional Services Start-Up of the Year
- Fintech Start-Up of the Year
- Food and Drink Start-Up of the Year
- Global Start-Up of the Year
- Graduate Start-Up of the Year
- Green Start-Up of the Year
- Innovative Start-Up of the Year
- Manufacturing Start-Up of the Year
- Medtech Start-Up of the Year
- Mobile and Emerging Technologies Start-up of the Year
- Retail Start-Up of the Year
- Rural Start-Up of the Year
- Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year
- Tourism and Leisure Start-Up of the Year
- Valleys Start-Up of the Year
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Rising Stars award

For more details about this year's event and to enter please visit the website.