Why enter
The UK Jewellery Awards is the UK’s longest running and most prestigious trade awards event for the jewellery and watch industry. Now in its 31st year, the awards recognise excellence in a variety of categories spanning everything from design and customer service through to retail and supply.
The UK Jewellery Awards provides you with the opportunity to showcase your business on a national scale and gain recognition for your efforts over the past 12 months.
The annual awards event is attended by around 700 of the UK jewellery and watch trade’s leading players and being shortlisted gives you the perfect platform to promote your business to leading decision makers.
Independently and impartially judged by a carefully selected panel of industry experts, winning one of these awards really does mean something and affords you the opportunity to tell your colleagues in the trade and your customers, that you really are the very best at what you do.
All shortlisted finalists are profiled extensively in the lead up to the awards, on the night itself and beyond, through coverage in Retail Jeweller magazine, via www.retail-jeweller.com , on all Retail Jeweller social channels and via the dedicated UK Jewellery Awards website.
Plus, if you are fortunate enough to be named a winner, there are extensive PR and promotional opportunities available to you in promoting your award win to local and national press, customers, and clients.
The night is a celebration of talent and innovation within the sector, but also a great opportunity for networking and catching up with industry colleagues.
It’s a glamorous night taking place on 6 September at the London Hilton Metropole. Attendees are welcomed to a pre-event drinks reception, followed by a sumptuous 3 course meal, entertainment from our host and post awards party.
Entries are now closed
If you need help with booking a table please contact Laura Glenister on 020 3953 2078 or email Laura.Glenister@emap.com.
The entry deadline for the UK Jewellery Awards was 3 March 2023. The winners will be announced at Hilton London Metropole on 6 September 2023.
Categories
Bespoke Jewellery Retailer of the Year
Who can enter?
Independent, multiple and ecommerce retailers in the UK and Ireland whose primary business is the design and creation of bespoke jewellery for customers. This bespoke jewellery must represent a significant portion (more than 35%) of your total turnover in the 2022/23 year
Bridal Jewellery Retailer of the Year
Who can enter?
Independent, multiple and ecommerce retailers in the UK and Ireland where the bridal jewellery (wedding, engagement rings and commitment rings) part of your business represented a significant portion (more than 25%) of your total turnover in the 2022/23 year
Commercial Jewellery Designer of the Year
Who Can Enter?
Any UK or Irish-based jewellery designer behind a jewellery brand (such as John Smith’s Jewellery Design) or working in-house as a designer for another jewellery brand/supplier. The brand must have been producing jewellery for more than four years at the closing date of 3 March 2023.
Please note that this category focuses primarily on the commerciality of your designs and how this translates into a being a commercial designer for a jewellery brand. If you consider yourself to be a creative jewellery designer, then please enter Creative Jewellery Designer of the Year instead.
If you enter this category but, the judging panel deems you to be more suitable for Creative Jewellery Designer of the Year, you will automatically be shortlisted in the other category. Please note you cannot be shortlisted for both categories, so please read the entry questions of both categories first, before deciding which one to enter.
To be eligible for entry into this category you MUST have stockists or distribution in the UK/Ireland (or your own ecommerce site). If you don’t, then your entry won’t be considered.
Creative Jewellery Designer of the Year
Who Can Enter?
Any UK or Irish-based jewellery designer that has been producing jewellery commercially for more than three years at the closing date of 3 March 2023. You can work for your own brand/label or be designing in-house for another company.
Please note that this category focuses primarily on the creative design process and your skills/aptitude as a jewellery designer. If you consider yourself to be a to be the designer of a commercial jewellery brand, then please enter Commercial Jewellery Designer of the Year instead.
If you enter this category but, the judging panel deems you to be more suitable for Commercial Jewellery Designer of the Year, you will automatically be shortlisted in the other category. Please note you cannot be shortlisted for both categories, so please read the entry questions of both categories first, before deciding which one to enter.
To be eligible for entry into this category you MUST have stockists or distribution in the UK/Ireland (or your own ecommerce site). If you don’t, then your entry won’t be considered.
Customer Event of the Year
Who Can Enter?
Any UK or Irish-based retailers or brands which have held an event aimed at their consumers/customers during the 2022/2023 year, before the closing date of 3 March 2023. This could be an in-store customer event or an external event in aid of a charity or fundraising effort as well as any one-off customer or client events.
Emerging Jewellery Designer of the Year
Who Can Enter?
Any UK or Irish-based jewellery designer that has been producing jewellery commercially for more than six months but fewer than three years at the closing date of 3 March 2023 . You can work for your own brand/label or be designing in-house for another company.
Please note that to be eligible for entry into this category you MUST have already secured stockists or distribution in the UK/Ireland. If you do not currently have any wholesale stockists, or a functioning UK-based ecommerce business, your entry will not be considered.
Emerging Jewellery/Watch Brand of the Year
Who can enter?
Any brand (jewellery or watches) which has been in existence for three years or fewer OR has been distributed in the UK for three years or fewer (at the closing date of 3 March 2023).
Please DO NOT enter this category if the business/brand has been in existence for longer than three years, as your entry will be automatically discounted.
The business MUST have distribution/stockists in the UK. The brand must be able to demonstrate significant and continuous growth since launch.
Sponsored By
Employer of the Year
Who can enter?
Any employer in the jewellery and/or watch industry that employs a total of more than 10 full-time or part-time staff. This can include retailers, suppliers, brands or manufacturers.
Ethical/Sustainable Business of the Year
Who can enter?
Any business in the jewellery and/or watch industry with a strong focus on ethics/sustainability. This can include retailers (independents, multiples or etailers), suppliers, designers, brands or manufacturers.
Jewellery Brand of the Year
By nomination only
Jewellery Retailer of the Year (five stores or fewer)
Who Can Enter?
Retailers with five or fewer stores in the UK and Ireland who have dedicated 40% of their store footprint or total business turnover to jewellery.
Please note this category is for multi-brand retailers only. Also, any franchise stores will not be considered in the total number of stores. (i.e. if you have three of your own stores trading under your name but also operate eight Pandora franchises, you would still be eligible for entry into this category as you would be considered as having three stores).
Jewellery/Watch Supplier of the Year
Who Can Enter?
Manufacturers and/or UK and Irish-based suppliers/distributors of jewellery or watches. You must have a full support and distribution operation in the UK or Ireland, and not just sales representatives/agents and you must have been operating in the UK for at least four years by the closing date of 3 March 2023
Marketing/Social Media Campaign or Collaboration of the Year
Who can enter?
Any brand, retailer, designer or supplier of jewellery and/or watches who launched a new marketing, or social media campaign and/or collaboration at any time during the last 12 months (up until the 3 March 2023 closing date).
This can include print, online, social media, outdoor, TV or radio campaigns or collaborations a combination of all of the above. Campaigns can be either B2C or B2B focused.
Omnichannel Retailer of the Year
Who Can Enter?
Retailers of either jewellery and/or watches who sell their goods through more than one channel i.e. stores and a transactional website or a shopping channel with a transactional website.
Please note you must have a presence which spans more than one channel in order to be eligible to enter this category and judges are looking for examples of how these channels all work together as one.
Outstanding Contribution to the Industry (By nomination only)
By nomination only
This award recognises and honours one particular individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the industry throughout the course of their career.
Although the recipient is ultimately chosen by the Retail Jeweller editorial team if you have any suggestions of people you would like to be considered for this accolade, then please contact ruth.faulkner@emap.com before 3 March 2023.
Retail Team of the Year
Who can enter?
Any team of sales/shopfloor staff working in a retail business (of any size or type i.e. independent, multiple or e-tail business) that sells jewellery and/or watches to end consumers.
Those on that team can be working at any level from part-time sales assistant all the way up to store manager providing they are involved in the day-to-day selling of products to the end consumer.
The team can enter themselves for this award or they can be nominated by their manager or someone else from within the business. If you are nominating a team, please answer the below questions with them in mind.
Retailer of the Year (six stores or more)
Who Can Enter?
Retailers of jewellery and/or watches with six or more stores in the UK and Ireland
Please note this category is aimed at multi-brand/product retailers only AND NOT mono-brand boutiques.
Service Supplier of the Year
Who Can Enter?
UK and Irish-based suppliers of any service used by retailer jewellers or those operating in the UK and Irish jewellery/watch industry. You must have a full support operation in the UK or Ireland, not just representatives/agents, and you must have been operating in the UK for at least four years by the closing date of 3 March 2023.
Store Design of the Year
Who can enter?
This category is open to all sizes and type of store (jewellers, watch retailers, mono-brand boutiques) that have either been newly opened or fully re-furbished/re-fitted in the 12 months up to 3 March 2023
Watch Brand of the Year (By nomination only)
By nomination only
Watch Retailer of the Year (five stores or fewer)
Who can enter?
Bricks-and-mortar and/or online business in the UK and Ireland with five stores or fewer who consider themselves a watch specialist and have dedicated at least 30% of their store footprint or total business turnover to watches.
Judging process
The UK Jewellery Awards will have a two-stage judging process. In the first round, in order to be in with a chance of being shortlisted, you MUST answer all of the questions on the entry form.
The companies/individuals who have made the shortlist will be informed no later than the end of March 2023. Those on the shortlist will also be invited to the UK Jewellery Awards shortlist party to celebrate their achievements. This is an invite-only event which takes place on 18 April in central London.
If you are shortlisted in a retail category, your business will also be subject to a secret mystery shop visit, which will take place sometime during late March/early April by our mystery shopping partner, StoreCheckers.
The shortlist will then be deliberated by our carefully selected panel on industry judges during the UK Jewellery Awards judging days, which take place on 4-5 May 2023.
The judging process is such that it ensures that no one judges a category in which they have a vested interest, neither will competing business be judging one another. All judging takes place under Chatham House Rules and all judges sign an NDA. The final decision on winners is made by secret ballot and no judge leaves the room knowing which business/individual has won.
This judging process has been honed and perfected over the last 31 years, ensuring the fairest and most robust way of deciding on the winners of these important industry awards.
Judges
Judges are selected from major suppliers, manufacturers, brands, retailers and designers and contribute valuable time and effort to work through hundreds of entries, reviewing them against strict criteria and attributing scores aimed at rewarding and recognising the very best of the Jewellery and Watch industry.
You can view our 2023 judging panel below.