The search is on for Northern Ireland’s high-flying companies and business people, with the launch of the 2016 Aer Lingus Viscount Awards in association with Ulster Business.

The awards, now in their eighth year, attract entries from the most dynamic, innovative businesses in the country and this year sees a shake-up in the categories that will allow a wider spectrum of businesses to enter.

The revised categories for 2016 are: Innovator of the Year, Exporter of the Year, Best SME Award, Best Business Start-Up Award, Employee Champion Award, Business Person of the Year and the Award for Overall Excellence.

Andrea Hunter, Business Development Manager at Aer Lingus in NI said: “No matter the size or sector your business operates in, if you’ve achieved something you’re proud of then we’d love to hear from you.

“We’ve deliberately widened the scope of the categories this year to encourage a really varied pool of entrants. They must have just one thing in common and that’s a clear demonstration that they excel at what they do.

“So if your business has had a great year, whether that be through innovation, export success, employee engagement, outstanding leadership or a start-up that’s really going places, then there’s at least one category for you to enter. We’re looking for companies that showcase the very best that Northern Ireland has to offer and we expect the standard to be incredibly high,” she added.

The 2016 Viscount Awards luncheon will be held on Tuesday 24th May at the IoD, 116 Pall Mall, London. Every shortlisted company will be offered one complimentary ticket to the event, which includes a three course meal and return flights with Aer Lingus from George Best Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow.

Guests will also be given access to the state-of-the-art Aer Lingus Business Lounge at London Heathrow.

“For us, the Viscount Awards present a fantastic opportunity not only to engage with business across Northern Ireland,” said Andrea Hunter, “but also to showcase our product and the quality of what we’re offering the smart business traveller here.

“It’s our way of demonstrating our commitment to this marketplace. We recently announced our decision to increase capacity on our Belfast- London Heathrow route by 21% for Summer 2016. We are confident demand for the service will continue to grow,” she concluded.

Entry forms and criteria can be found at viscountawards.ulsterbusiness.com and all entries must be submitted no later than 5pm on Monday 21st March at 5pm.