Nominations open as LoveNUL Business Awards return for fourth year

Nominations are now open for the 2026 LoveNUL Business Awards, with 13 categories celebrating Newcastle-under-Lyme businesses, organisations and people ahead of the awards ceremony at St Giles’ Church in October.

The LoveNUL Business Awards are back for 2026, with nominations now open across 13 categories celebrating the businesses, organisations and people that make a difference in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Hosted by Newcastle-under-Lyme Business Improvement District (BID), the awards return for their fourth year on Friday 9th October, moving to a new venue for 2026 at St Giles’ Church in the heart of the town centre.

Nominations opened on Thursday 20th August and will remain open until Sunday 30th August, giving businesses and members of the public the opportunity to recognise those they believe deserve to be celebrated.

The 2026 award categories are:

Retailer of the Year Award

Café & Coffee Shop of the Year Award

Pub, Beer & Ale Venue of the Year Award

Hospitality Venue of the Year Award

Beauty & Wellbeing Business of the Year Award

Business Services of the Year Award

Customer Service of the Year Award

New Business of the Year Award

Market & Event Trader of the Year Award

Visitor Experience of the Year Award

Newcastle Ambassador of the Year Award

Community Connector of the Year Award

Unsung Hero of the Year Award

Nominations will be considered by an independent judging panel, with shortlisted finalists either progressing to a public vote or being selected by the judges, depending on the award category.

The 2026 judging panel brings together representatives from the Newcastle-under-Lyme BID Board, including Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), Heywoods, New Vic Theatre, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, alongside Keele University. Many of those organisations are also supporting this year’s awards as sponsors, alongside Titanic Brewery, Thompson Wright and University of Staffordshire, with further local businesses and partners supporting individual categories and the event.

Charlotte Pearce, BID Manager at Newcastle-under-Lyme BID, said:

“The LoveNUL Business Awards are all about recognising the businesses and people behind Newcastle-under-Lyme.

“This is our fourth year of the awards and we’ve refreshed the categories for 2026 to make sure we’re celebrating the breadth of what we have here, from our retailers, cafés, pubs and hospitality venues to brilliant customer service, new businesses, market traders, community connectors and those unsung heroes who make a difference without necessarily getting the recognition they deserve.

“We want people to really think about who stands out to them and tell us why. We want to know the story behind the nomination, whether it’s consistently brilliant service, someone who always goes that extra mile, a business investing in the town or an individual making a real difference to Newcastle-under-Lyme. That detail really helps our judges when it comes to shortlisting.”

The awards have grown considerably since their launch in 2023. In 2025, around 600 nominations were received, more than 6,000 votes were cast and around 180 guests came together for the awards evening.

Previous winners have included Divinity Studio, The Little Vic, Hurricane Gaming and Brampton Museum, while the Peter Pan Centre was recognised for its contribution to the community. Piccoloco received the Spirit of Newcastle-under-Lyme Business award and Janet Lowe from McDonald’s was recognised for her individual contribution to the town.

Nominations are open now at lovenulawards.co.uk and close on Sunday 30th August.

Public voting opens on Friday 4th September and Judges’ Choice finalists will be confirmed on Monday 14th September.

The winners will be revealed at the LoveNUL Business Awards 2026 at St Giles’ Church on Friday 9th October.

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