"1. Ensure you read the criteria and requirements properly.

2. Give yourself enough time to complete the form in the best possible way. Save it as you go along and come back to it at a later date.

4. Be prepared to back up anything you say in your application with certificates, logs etc. if required.

5. If in doubt ask for help and guidance we are always here to assist."

"My advice, as obvious as it sounds, is to really pay attention to the entry form, you only have a short amount of words for some of the questions, so you really need to think about what you are saying. Where possible it is important to back information up with hard facts, such as financial statistics.

You must remember that the judges could be reading 30+ entry forms therefore yours needs to stand out, be easy to digest and be clear.

To break it down to 5 top tips:

1. Select your category/categories wisely be ambitious but also realistic - you don’t want to do 3 mediocre entries when you could do one outstanding entry.

2. Give yourself time to complete the entry form, do not rush it.

3. Pay attention to every question and prioritise your answers with the word count in mind.

4. Be clear throughout, remember the judges do not know your business, so make sure your responses are clear but concise, easy to digest and answer the question.

5. Make sure at least one impartial person reads your entry and offers constructive feedback before submitting."

"1. Give yourself time to formulate detailed answers that give the judges a real insight into your business.

2. If you are shortlisted, involve your staff in the interview stage – allow the judges to see your business from an Employee’s point of view as well as your own

3. Don’t feel embarrassed to celebrate your achievements and make sure you explain how you have overcome any barriers in your journey to reaching them.

4. If you are successful and win a KEiBA – shout it from the rooftops! Make the most of your success and celebrate it with your employees"

"Involve as many people as possible in the process to ensure that your application shows the relevant detail and information from each function / area within the business.

Plan well ahead and make time for drafting and fine tuning your application. Remember that the judges do not know how great your business is – you have to tell them! Also, be quite specific and give examples where you can of good business practice. Finally, don’t leave your application to the last minute."

"1. Take your time, stop and look at the great things you are doing in your business. This is a great opportunity to stand back and see just how much you have done.

2. Fill in the entry form carefully and take time to think about it. It is easy to rush entry forms, and in this case, the KEIBA entries take longer than you think.

3. Be honest with yourself.

4. If you get through to the interview stage, prepare something special that covers off your main points in your entry and make sure you can show evidence of your claims."

"1. Know your business

• What have you done?

• What's been achieved?

• What are the plans for the future?

2. Know your numbers

• What are the sales?

• Profit?

• Staff numbers?

• Staff costs?

• Staff costs?

• How much investment has been made?

3. How do you manage staff?

• Why do they want to work for you?

• What do you do for them?

• How do you develop them?"

"Just because you do something day in, day out doesn’t mean it isn’t remarkable. Remember that the judges may have never heard of your business before and probably don’t work in your industry. If possible, ask your wider network what is interesting and different about your business rather than assuming that everyone does what you do in the same way – you might be surprised by their answers.

On the subject of not making assumptions, write your application in simple language, avoid industry jargon and explain every acronym you use."

"The Young Entrepreneur category is a chance for emerging business talent to show their hand at both planning for commercial success and breaking new territory with innovative thinking, and it’s the section of the competition that is wide open to those with varying levels of experience.

In order to show you've got the acumen required, you’ll need to display evidence of entrepreneurial spirit, and beyond that, demonstrate that you can put great ideas into practice in a business environment. Make sure that you have the facts and figures to show how you've used your skills to achieve success, and impress the judges by showing that your enterprising efforts have produced tangible results."