Enter the awards
There are 20 categories within the Accounting Excellence Awards, recognising accounting firms, individuals, teams, projects and industry vendors within the UK. All categories are judged by an impressive line-up of experts and influencers covering a range of specialisms from within and outside the accounting profession.
Firm awards
“Absolutely thrilled”
Sarah Sallis, The Accountancy Office
Winner: Sole Practitioner of the Year, 2020
“A real honour to win”
Nigel Fright, Kreston Reeves
Winner: Large Firm of the Year 2020
“Absolutely sublime!”
Alastair Barlow, Flinder,
Winner: New Firm, Fast-Track & Innovative Firm of the Year, 2019
Entries close 25th june
Individual awards
“I was absolutely stunned!”
Kate Upcraft AMBCS mGPA
Winner: Outstanding Contribution Award 2020
Entries close 25th june
software Vendor awards
Looking for the AccountingWEB Software awards?
“An immensely
proud moment”
Karen Bennett, BrightPay
Winner: Hero Award: Vendor 2020
Entries close 25th june
SMALL FIRM OF THE YEAR
This category is for small firms (annual fee income £251k-£500k).
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate the strength and quality of your firm and client vision. Show us the defining qualities that help you stand out in a crowded market.
MEDIUM FIRM OF THE YEAR
This category is for medium-sized firms (annual fee income of £500k-£5m) typically with multiple teams and locations.
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate the strength and quality of your specialist strategy. Show us the defining qualities that help your team stand out in a highly competitive market
LARGE FIRM OF THE YEAR
This category is for large firms (£5m+ income) typically with a broad range of service lines and locations across multiple regions.
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate the strength and quality of your firm and client vision and the defining qualities that help you stand out in a highly competitive market.
NEW FIRM OF THE YEAR
This category is for firms that have been trading for a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years.
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate they are targeting a gap in the marketplace with a unique vision and a sustainable business model.
SPECIALIST TEAM OF THE YEAR
This category is for firms/teams that have developed specialist, niche services for clients.
Specialist offerings may include in-house teams of consultants, management accountants or virtual finance directors, M&A specialists, technology developers, marketers and analysts, as well as people delivering more traditional audit, tax and industry-specific services.
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate the strength and quality of your specialist strategy. Show us the defining qualities that help your team stand out in a highly competitive market.
FAST-TRACK FIRM OF THE YEAR
This category is for firms that have found the formula for rapid and sustainable growth over the past two to three years.
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate there is more to growth than rising client numbers and fee income. Showing how you have managed the challenges associated with growth over the past 2-3 years will earn you higher marks.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE AWARD
This category is open to both accounting firms and finance teams in industry who are fostering talent, supporting career progression and achieving excellence through their people’s performance.
Judges will be looking at how your organisation’s training and development strategy helps your team deliver exceptional service. This can be achieved by presenting quantifiable measures of the impact learning and development activities have had within your organisation.
CLIENT SERVICE AWARD
This category is for firms that put client service at the heart of their business. You don’t have to have complicated systems in place to achieve that goal, but you do need to demonstrate observable strategies that enable your team to deliver exemplary client service.
Judges will be looking at how you build your service vision into fabric of your firm and the results your approach has achieved.
HERO AWARD: ACCOUNTING FIRM
Accountancy is at heart a people profession. This category seeks to celebrate accounting firms going the extra mile to help the accounting profession and community. It is open to any accounting or bookkeeping practice.
Judges will be looking for firms that have gone to great lengths to support their wider accounting community or have elevated the perception of the profession.
SOLE PRACTITIONER OF THE YEAR
This category is for a single principal/partner who earns <£250k a year, with or without a supporting team.
The judges are looking for sole practitioners who know where they’re going and who can explain how they are able to help clients in ways that other firms can’t match.
PRACTICE PIONEER OF THE YEAR
This category is for practice pioneers who are not only experts in their field, but show a genuinely innovative approach to the wider challenges facing the accounting profession.
The judges are looking for a Practice Pioneer who not only has expertise in their field, but shows a genuinely innovative approach to the wider challenges facing the accounting profession.
HERO AWARD: INDIVIDUAL
Accountancy is at heart a people profession. This category celebrates the individual stories of people within the accounting sector who go above and beyond to help the accounting profession and community.
Judges will be looking for individuals that have gone to great lengths to support their wider accounting community or have elevated the perception of the profession.
NEW FOR 2021
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
This award is open for individuals employed by an accounting practice or working within a finance team, and nominees will be considered up to five years into their accountancy career.
Judges will be considering the nominee’s professional development and ambition to strive further in their accountancy career.
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD
This is an award selected by AccountingWEB’s editors, but in tune with our ethos, we draw heavily on community input for nominations and evidence of candidates’ contributions to the world of accountancy.
NEW FOR 2021
TRANSFORMATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR
This category celebrates a transformation project within an accountancy firm which has led to strong growth or an innovation, enabling the firm to chart new frontiers.
The judges are looking for a transformation project that shows innovation and tangible results. They will be looking at the impact this project has had on the accountancy firm and its business requirement.
BOOKKEEPING TEAM OF THE YEAR
This category seeks to celebrate the essential work that helps keep the accounting wheels turning. It is not practice specific and is open to any specialist bookkeeping practice or to bookkeeping departments that operate within practices with teams of more than two people.
Judges will be looking for teams that do more than just keep the books and can demonstrate how their service contributes to the wider success of client businesses.
SPECIALIST TEAM OF THE YEAR
This category is for firms/teams that have developed specialist, niche services for clients.
Judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate the strength and quality of your specialist strategy. Show us the defining qualities that help your team stand out in a highly competitive market
NEW FOR 2021
TAX TEAM OF THE YEAR
This award seeks to celebrate the teams that have mastered self assessment season or have navigated clients through the increasingly complex tax landscape. It is not a practice specific and is open to any specialist tax teams or to tax departments with teams of two or more people.
Judges will be looking for teams that have demonstrated exceptional tax work and have added value to their clients.
NEW FOR 2021
PAYROLL TEAM OF THE YEAR
The award is to recognise excellence in payroll. If there is one thing 2020 has done it’s raised the profile of payroll professionals. It is not a practice specific and is open to any specialist payroll firms, teams or to payroll departments with teams of two or more people.
Judges will be looking for teams that can demonstrate how their service contributes to the wider success of client businesses.
HERO AWARD: VENDOR
Accountancy is at heart a people profession. This category is for organisations serving the accountancy profession that have gone the extra mile to support the accounting profession and community. It is open to software vendors, information providers and any other entity active in our market.
Judges will be looking for vendors that have gone to great lengths to support their wider accounting community or have elevated the perception of the profession.
NEW FOR 2021
PARTNERSHIP AWARD
This category celebrates the symbiotic relationship between accountants and vendors. It recognises software vendors who are providing exceptional support to their customers and are working in collaboration with their accountant partners to help them and their clients grow.
Judges will be looking at how your organisation works collaboratively with customers. Show us how you enable your customers to grow their business or achieve strong client service.
NEW FOR 2021
PRODUCT INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
This category is for software vendors that have introduced a product or solution in the past year that has solved major issues for accountants and helped them deliver outstanding value or service to clients.
The judges are looking for innovations that have achieved tangible results during the past year.
Entry Toolkit
Everything you need to enter
We’ve put all the information you need into this handy Toolkit. Download it and get started on your entry today!
Key dates
The Road to Excellence
Our Partners
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