Enter MiMA '26 | MiMA

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the made in manchester awards 2026

how to enter

Nominations for MiMA '26 are now OPEN! Give Greater Manchester's young business community a chance to shine and enter yourself or someone you know to one (or more) of our awards down below.

How do you enter, we hear you ask?

Enter for MiMA '26 by simply clicking on the name of the award below you would like to put yourself or someone you know forward for, this will open up an application form. Fill in the application form and sit back and relax 'til 12th November 2025 when the shortlist is announced.

Yes, it really is THAT easy.

So, what are you waiting for?! Get applying & save our MiMA '26 Key Dates in your diary - just in case you do make it onto our shortlist!

Good luck :)

*Please note that entrants must be 35 or under as of October 2025 to qualify
*We do not charge a fee to enter the Made in Manchester Awards.

the made in manchester awards 2026

award categories

Entries for The Made in Manchester Awards 2026 open on 20th August 2025 and close on 15th October 2025.

For any queries please contact our MiMA Event Manager - MiMA@pro-manchester.co.uk

accountant

This category is for a brilliant individual working in accountancy who’s gone above and beyond in their role. Whether they’re newly qualified or have a bit more experience, they’ll have shown real drive, made a noticeable difference to their team or business, and brought more to the table than just number crunching.

APPRENTICE

This category is aimed at an outstanding individual who has/is currently serving or has completed an apprenticeship in the last year and has demonstrated an ability to go above and beyond their job role to have a positive impact on the business.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT / SALES PROFESSIONAL

This award is for the best business development or sales professional within the Greater Manchester region who can demonstrate excellent proficiency in searching for new business, where the role is predominantly focused on new business generation.

Kindly Sponsored by:

BUSINESS OWNER/
ENTREPRENEUR

This award is for the best business owner or entrepreneur within the Greater Manchester region who has demonstrated significant success in business over the past 12 months.

CORPORATE Finance

This category celebrates someone working in corporate finance who’s made a real impact over the last year. They’ll have shown sharp commercial awareness, strong skills and gone the extra mile to support business growth.

Kindly Sponsored by:

Creative & media

This category shines a spotlight on an individual working in the creative or media industries from design and branding to film, photography, production, or content creation. They’ll have brought fresh ideas to life, delivered standout work, and made a real impact through creativity.

digital, marketing
& pr

This category recognises a rising star in digital, marketing, or PR who’s delivered impressive results through creative thinking, strategic campaigns, or standout communications. Whether they’ve built a brand, grown an audience, or told a story that stuck, they’ll have made a real impact.

Kindly Sponsored by:

diversity & inclusivity

This award is for the best young Diversity and Inclusivity champion, including Health & Wellbeing, that has positively and effectively impacted a brand or organisation.

graduate

This category is aimed at an outstanding individual who is currently serving or has completed a graduate or trainee program in the last year and has demonstrated an ability to go above and beyond their job role to have a positive impact on their business.

health & wellbeing champion

This category celebrates someone who’s made a real difference to the health and wellbeing of others in their workplace or community. Whether through formal initiatives or simply being a supportive presence, they’ve championed mental and physical wellbeing and inspired others to prioritise a healthier, happier way of working and living.

hospitality, leisure
& tourism

This award is for the best young hospitality / tourism / leisure professional that has positively and effectively enhanced a brand or organisation.

Kindly Sponsored by:

lawyer

This award is for the best young legal professional within the Greater Manchester region. This award recognises individuals from solicitors to barristers, legal executives to patent attorneys, paralegals and in-house lawyers that have made an exceptional contribution to the profession.

manchester
community hero

This award is for someone who has gone above and beyond and, in doing, made a significant, if not vital contribution to a business / organisation / community within the Greater Manchester region.

mentor

This award is open to young managers across the Greater Manchester region. The award recognises young professionals from all sectors who have responsibility for managing others and have brought out the best from those they manage through an exceptional ability to support, motivate, and aid development.

personal/executive assistant

This award is for the best young business support professional across the Greater Manchester region within a Personal Assistant or Executive Assistant role.

property

This category is for an outstanding individual working in the property industry who has made a real impact over the past year. Whether in residential, commercial, development, or property services, they’ve shown drive and innovation in helping to deliver projects that make a difference.

Kindly Sponsored by:

recruitment / talent

This award is for young professionals working in recruitment and talent management. It is open to agency and in-house individuals working in the recruitment departments of corporate businesses.

skills champion

This category celebrates someone who’s passionate about developing skills. Whether through training or creating opportunities for growth, they’ve gone the extra mile to help people learn and reach their potential in the workplace or wider community.

sustainability
champion

Greater Manchester has set out the bold ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2038, 12 years’ ahead of the Government’s own target. The award will go to an individual that has positively and effectively enhanced a brand or organisation with its ESG ambitions. It is open to anyone working across any sector.

Team

The Team of the Year award has been designed for businesses that can demonstrate and show real life examples of how teamwork has led to their success. This award is also perfect for those who might have felt uncomfortable putting themselves forward for an individual award in previous years, but believes their team as a whole deserves recognition for their work.
There is no maximum team size and can include all employees within a business, but 75% of the individuals within the team must be aged 35 or under on October 2025 to qualify for this award.

tech & innovation

This award is open to individuals who plan, design, develop, implement or manage a technology-based function in-house department, agency or private business. This includes people in product/service development, R&D, digital communication, mobile development, network architecture and management.

Kindly Sponsored by:

chair's rising star

This award will be judged by pro-manchester Chair, Alison Loveday and future-pro Chair, Herbie Hursthouse. The winner of this award will be chosen from a shortlist made up of the winners from the individual categories. This award will be given to an individual who has proven their potential to be a future leader.

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