The Trades Awards are organised by local creative marketing agency Mearns & Gill and were launched in 2012 to reward and recognise individuals, teams, and businesses within the North East construction industry. Now entering its ninth year, the awards ceremony invites applications from businesses across all disciplines within construction, and from sole traders right up to national construction businesses with a head office in the North East.

With 14 award categories available to enter including ‘Apprentice of the Year’, ‘Tradesperson of the Year’, ‘Sustainability in Construction’ and ‘Construction Project of the Year’, there are many opportunities for businesses of all sizes to share their success story.

Trades Awards 2020 was initially postponed due to Covid-19 and eventually took place in October as a live, online event, broadcast from a studio at Mearns & Gill. Over 400 guests took part in the celebrations that saw winners give their acceptance speeches from living rooms, kitchens, and boardrooms around the North East, due to a tightening of restrictions at that time.

This year’s ceremony will take place online again on October 1, with organisers hoping that finalists will be able to gather in smaller groups this year if government guidelines allow.

Mike Wilson, managing director Mearns & Gill, said: “We are very excited to be starting the search for this year’s crop of construction heroes. We organise a range of construction events throughout the year, so we get to see first-hand the incredible work that is being done out there, and we believe it is important to highlight these achievements.

“We had initially hoped that we could celebrate together this year, but with so much uncertainty in terms of restrictions we took the decision to organise the event online again. We’ll be broadcasting live from our very own studio, with the hope that our sponsors and finalists will be able to gather in smaller groups to hear the award announcements. The world of digital events continues to get more exciting, and we’ll be using the best technology and techniques to ensure that all of our guests have an entertaining an interactive evening.”

Neil Thomson, deputy managing director, Stewart Milne Homes Scotland, said: “On behalf of everyone at Stewart Milne Group, we are extremely proud to be the main sponsor of the Trades Awards for the seventh year in a row. I speak regularly about how proud I am to work in the construction industry, and that has never been truer than now. Our industry has led the way in terms of operating safely and efficiently during a global pandemic, and everyone has worked so hard to create new ways of working that have been adopted by other sectors.

“We have witnessed individuals in our own business, and amongst our contractors, suppliers, and peers rise to the huge challenges we have faced, and the Trades Awards offers an important opportunity to give these construction heroes the recognition they richly deserve.”

Elaine Donald from W M Donald added: “Our industry is very much about the people, and we continue to support the Trades Awards because it offers a unique platform to highlight the skill, knowledge and passion within construction. For us, it is very important that individual apprentices, young professionals, and tradespeople receive recognition for outstanding achievements, as well as giving local companies the chance to talk about their efforts with regards to sustainability, health and safety, and looking after their people.”

The deadline for entering Trades Awards 2021 is Friday 25th June, more information can be found on www.tradesawards.com.