Woman Who AWARDS
Woman Who’s mission is to create inspirational women in business role models to inspire others.
Woman Who® Awards: Regional Women in Business Awards
Recognise your achievements | Build connections | Become known.
The Woman Who® Awards celebrate women in business, giving you an opportunity to raise your profile, share your story, and build relationships with people who want to see you succeed.
Founded by Sandra Garlick MBE, Woman Who® is expanding through a regional franchise network, bringing business awards, networking, and opportunities for recognition into more local communities across the UK.
Whether you’re employed, self-employed, leading a team or making the business decisions on your own, your achievements deserve to be recognised.
Our mission: To create more local women in business role models to inspire others.
Business awards that recognise the person behind the achievements
When did you last stop and recognise how far you’ve come?
It’s easy to focus on what still needs doing and forget the challenges you’ve overcome, the people you’ve helped and the progress you’ve made.
Entering the Woman Who® Awards gives you time to reflect on those achievements and put them into words. Completing your entry can help you see your strengths, recognise your impact, and find stories you haven’t thought to share before.
Perhaps you’ve grown a business, developed as a leader, supported your community or found a way forward through a difficult period.
We want to hear about it.
You don’t need to wait for someone else to tell you that you’ve done something worth celebrating.
Local awards | Valuable relationships | Wider opportunities.
There are inspiring women working in every region. Many are quietly getting on with things, without realising how much someone else could learn from their experience. Through our growing network of Woman Who® Regional Partners, we’re creating more opportunities for those women to be seen, heard and celebrated.
Our regional awards bring people together to recognise local achievements and build connections within their business community. You could meet a future client, discover someone to collaborate with, or have a conversation that changes how you think about your next step.
The award gives you a reason to put yourself forward. The relationships you build can continue long after the event. These awards are not about one day in the calendar year.
What makes the Woman Who® Awards different?
No categories
You don’t have to squeeze your achievements into a category that doesn’t quite fit. Every entrant answers the same core questions, with space to share your individual story along with your experience, achievements, and impact.
No public voting
You won’t be asked to collect votes or persuade your followers to help you win. Entries are assessed purely on merit by independent judges at two stages.
A chance to tell your story
The judges want to understand what you’ve achieved, how you’ve achieved it and why it matters. Leadership, growth, innovation, resilience and contribution can all form part of that story.
Recognition beyond the winners
Everyone who enters and attends the awards event has the opportunity to be recognised and celebrated in the room. Your achievements matter throughout the experience, from completing your entry to sharing the day with your business community.
Connection is part of the experience
Woman Who® events take place during the day and create time to meet people, start conversations and build relationships. Come ready to make connections and celebrate others, as well as yourself.
About the Woman Who® Awards
The Woman Who® Awards were created to give women in business the recognition they deserve and create more visible role models to inspire others.
Founded by Sandra Garlick MBE in 2016, Woman Who® grew from a belief that there were incredible women doing inspiring things in business whose stories simply weren’t being heard.
Sandra also knew from her own experience of entering awards that the experience could feel very different depending on whether you won. She wanted to create something where everyone who entered and attended felt recognised, welcomed, and celebrated.
That meant creating awards with no categories, no public voting, and independent judging. Awards where the person behind the achievements matters, and where everyone who enters, and is in the room, gets their moment on stage and that all-important photograph.
More than an awards ceremony
From the beginning, the purpose has been to bring people together, build relationships, and create opportunities.
Completing an entry gives you time to reflect on your achievements and recognise how far you’ve come. Being in the room gives you opportunities to meet potential clients, build collaborations, and connect with people who understand the realities of business life.
Over the years, entrants have become winners, judges, speakers, sponsors and champions of others. Those relationships and opportunities are an important part of the Woman Who® story.
The next chapter: Creating more local role models
Woman Who® is now expanding through a regional franchise network, bringing that same ethos into more local business communities across the UK.
Our Regional Partners will create opportunities for more women to share their stories, build connections and be recognised closer to home, supported by the experience and values behind the Woman Who® brand.
Our mission remains: To create more local women in business role models to inspire others.
Because when someone sees a person they relate to stepping forward, sharing their achievements and being celebrated, it can help them believe that they can do it too.
How to enter the Woman Who® Awards
1. Find your regional awards
Visit your regional Woman Who® page to check which awards are available, who can enter and when entries open.
2. Check the key dates and entry requirements
Read the guidance before you begin. Make sure you can meet the entry deadline and any requirements to attend a finalist interview and the awards event.
3. Complete your online entry
Give yourself time to reflect and answer the questions fully. Use specific examples to explain your achievements and the difference you make.
4. Take part in the judging process
Independent judges review the entries. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll be invited to an interview to share more about your story and answer their questions.
5. Join us for the celebration
Make the most of being in the room. Meet your fellow entrants, connect with other guests and enjoy recognising what you’ve achieved.
Key Dates
Coming soon…
Find women in business awards in your region
Our franchise network is growing, with awards and events introduced as each Woman Who® Regional Partner establishes their local community.
Your regional page is the place to find:
- Your Regional Partner and the area they cover
- Upcoming awards and entry information
- Eligibility, deadlines and finalist interview dates
- Event venues, tickets and attendance requirements
- Local Sponsorship Experiences and ways to get involved
Can’t see your region yet?
Tell us where you’d like to see Woman Who® next, or explore whether you could become the Woman Who® Regional Partner bringing the community, awards, and events to your area.
You don’t have to enter to be in the room
Our awards events welcome people who want to connect, support and celebrate women in business.
You might be cheering on a finalist, meeting potential collaborators or looking to expand your local network. You’re welcome to come with a colleague, bring a guest or attend on your own.
There’s something special about spending time in a room where people champion each other’s achievements.
Sponsorship Experiences: Connect with your local business community
Would you like your business to become better known among women in business in your region?
Woman Who® Sponsorship Experiences create opportunities to build relationships, introduce your business to an engaged community and support the recognition of local role models.
Contact the relevant Regional Partner to discuss the opportunities available and what would suit your business.
Frequently asked questions about the Woman Who® Awards
What are the Woman Who® Awards?
The Woman Who® Awards are business awards founded by Sandra Garlick MBE to recognise achievements, create women in business role models and bring people together through recognition, networking and celebration.
Who can enter?
Woman Who® welcomes entries from people who meet the criteria for the relevant awards, including employed and self-employed entrants. Check your regional awards page for the eligibility requirements.
Can I enter myself?
Yes. You don’t have to wait for someone to nominate you. Completing your own entry gives you the opportunity to explain your achievements in your own words.
Do I need previous awards experience?
No. You’re welcome to enter whether this is your first business award entry or part of an established awards strategy. Follow the entry guidance and give yourself enough time to prepare.
Are there award categories?
No. The Woman Who® Awards use a common set of entry questions, allowing entrants to share their individual stories without choosing a category.
How are the awards judged?
Entries are reviewed by independent judges at two stages, with shortlisted finalists invited to an interview. There is no public vote. Your regional awards guidance will explain the process and key dates.
Does it cost to enter or attend?
Check the relevant regional awards page for entry arrangements, ticket prices and any attendance commitments before submitting your entry.
Do finalists have to attend?
Finalists are expected to take part in the judging process and it is recommended that they attend the awards celebration, although it’s not compulsory. Check the published regional terms for the specific requirements before entering.
Can I attend without entering?
Yes. You can purchase a ticket to support the entrants, meet other business people and enjoy the event. Visit the regional event page for availability and booking details.
Could you bring Woman Who® to your region?
If you enjoy connecting people, championing women in business and creating opportunities, a Woman Who® franchise could be your next chapter.
As a Regional Partner, you’ll build your own Woman Who® business through networking, awards, events and local relationships, supported by an established brand, training, resources and mentoring.
While you’re helping others become known, you’ll be growing your own profile and connections too.
Your story could inspire someone else.
Start by exploring Woman Who® in your region. Find your next awards opportunity, join us at an event or discover how you could help bring more local business stories into the spotlight.
WOMAN WHO ACHEIVES
CELEBRATION & RECOGNITION
“I created these Awards to address all the bad experiences I’d had when I’d entered Awards previously. Think penguin suits, being ignored if you’re not a winner and then absolutely nothing after, not even a photo with my certificate to savour.
So I developed something new, an opportunity for women in business (and men too) to come together to network, build relationships, and collaborate, and a place where everyone who enters who is in the room is recognised and celebrated.
Everyone gets their moment on stage and that all-important photo.”
Sandra Garlick, MBE
Founder of Woman Who
