Please see below the categories for the She Inspires Awards, when nominating somebody you are able to choose any categories you feel apply to the person you are nominating.
Employer of the Year Award
This award recognises organisations that actively support and empower women in the workplace. We are looking for employers who demonstrate inclusive leadership, fair progression, flexible working, and a strong people-first culture. Open to businesses, charities, public sector organisations, and social enterprises, this category celebrates employers who champion women’s wellbeing, growth, and opportunity, and who lead by example in equality and ethical practice.
Women in Business
The Women in Business Award celebrates women entrepreneurs and business leaders at all stages of their journey. We welcome nominations for sole traders, start-ups, founders, and established business owners who demonstrate resilience, innovation, and leadership. Nominees may operate locally, nationally, or globally, and should show how their business creates impact—economically, socially, or within their industry—while staying true to their values.
Women in Health, Fitness & Wellbeing
This award recognises women making a difference across health, fitness, and wellbeing. We welcome nominations for GPs, surgeons, nurses, therapists, practitioners, fitness professionals, wellbeing coaches, and mental or emotional health advocates. Nominees may work in clinical, community, private, or voluntary settings. This category celebrates women who support physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing, helping individuals and communities thrive.
Team of the Year Award
The Team of the Year Award celebrates teams led by or strongly supporting women who work collaboratively to achieve meaningful impact. Open to teams from business, education, healthcare, community organisations, and the voluntary sector, this category recognises shared values, inclusion, innovation, and collective success. We are looking for teams that demonstrate strong collaboration, trust, and a positive culture that delivers real results.
Young Achiever of the Year Award
This award celebrates outstanding young women aged 18 and under who are already making a positive impact. We welcome nominations for young achievers excelling in education, sport, creativity, leadership, volunteering, activism, or community work. Nominees may be quietly impactful or confidently visible, but all demonstrate commitment, courage, and potential. This category recognises the next generation of changemakers and role models.
Agent of Change Award
The Agent of Change Award recognises women who actively challenge inequality and drive meaningful change. Open to women working across advocacy, policy, education, business, or grassroots movements, this category celebrates courage, leadership, and vision. Nominees should demonstrate clear impact—locally, nationally, or globally—through actions that improve lives, shift perspectives, or transform systems for the better.
Champions of Culture Award
This award celebrates women who shape and enrich culture through creativity and expression. We welcome nominations for writers, authors, poets, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, artists, and cultural leaders. Nominees may work professionally or independently, using creative platforms to tell stories, preserve heritage, inspire dialogue, or connect communities. This category recognises the power of creativity in shaping identity, belonging, and social change.
Rising Star of the Year Award
The Rising Star Award celebrates women who are emerging as future leaders. We are looking for women in the early stages of their journey who show exceptional potential, growth, and ambition. Nominees may be new to leadership, returning to work, changing careers, or stepping into visibility for the first time. This category recognises promise, resilience, and the courage to rise.
SHEro of the Year Award
The SHEro of the Year Award honours women whose everyday actions make an extraordinary difference. We are especially seeking nominations for mothers, aunts, carers, volunteers, and community champions who often work behind the scenes and miss the spotlight. Professionals are also welcome where their work reflects this spirit of selfless service. This category celebrates compassion, quiet leadership, and women who give from the heart.
Women in Education Award
This award recognises women making an impact in education at any level. We welcome nominations for teaching assistants, early years practitioners, SEN professionals, tutors, lecturers, mentors, school leaders, and headteachers. Nominees may work in schools, colleges, universities, or community education settings. This category celebrates dedication to learning, inclusion, and opportunity—supporting learners of all ages to succeed.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award honours a woman whose long-term contribution has created lasting impact. We are looking for individuals whose career or service reflects sustained leadership, commitment, and influence over time. Nominees may come from any sector and may have worked quietly or visibly. This prestigious award celebrates legacy, integrity, and the power of dedication across a lifetime.
Women in Leadership Award
This category celebrates women who lead with purpose, integrity, and impact. Open to leaders across business, education, health, public service, community, and the voluntary sector, this award recognises women who inspire teams, make thoughtful decisions, and create inclusive cultures. Nominees may lead organisations, departments, initiatives, or movements, demonstrating leadership through values as well as results.
Women in Digital Award
This award recognises women shaping the digital world locally and globally. We welcome nominations for digital leaders, innovators, creators, technologists, and campaigners. The Global Digital Woman of Impact celebrates women whose digital work transcends borders. Nominees should demonstrate creativity, strategy, and measurable influence through digital platforms, campaigns, or technologies that inform, connect, or empower.
Women in Social Enterprise Award
The Women in Social Enterprise Award celebrates women using enterprise to create positive social or environmental change. Open to founders and leaders of CICs, charities, and purpose-driven organisations, this category recognises innovation, sustainability, and impact. Nominees should demonstrate how they balance purpose with practicality, delivering meaningful outcomes for communities while building resilient, values-led organisations.
Women in Hair, Beauty & Fashion Award
This category celebrates women excelling in hair, beauty, and fashion through creativity, leadership, and impact. We welcome nominations for professionals, designers, stylists, educators, and entrepreneurs who uplift others through confidence, wellbeing, ethical practice, or innovation. This award recognises women who raise industry standards, inspire self-expression, and use their craft to empower individuals and communities.
Women in Events, Hospitality & Networking Award
This award recognises women who bring people together through events, hospitality, and networking. Open to event professionals, hospitality leaders, community organisers, and network builders, this category celebrates inclusion, professionalism, and connection. Nominees should demonstrate how their work creates opportunities, collaboration, and belonging—using gatherings as powerful platforms for growth and shared success.
Campaign of the Year
This award recognises impactful campaigns that drive positive change through awareness, advocacy, or action. Open to women-led campaigns across education, health, wellbeing, sustainability, equality, and social impact. This category is not about budget, size, or reach alone. Campaigns may be bold and visible or quietly transformative, but must demonstrate purpose, leadership, and measurable impact on people, communities, or policy.
Male Ally Award
(Inspired by the United Nations HeForShe movement)
This award recognises men who have actively supported women and girls through meaningful action, advocacy, or allyship. From workplaces to homes, communities to policy, it celebrates those who challenge inequality, champion fairness, and stand alongside women with integrity, consistency, and respect — proving that gender equality is a shared responsibility.
