Area winners have been announced in the 2026 North East Business Awards. The winning companies in Northumberland and Tyneside; Durham, Sunderland and South Tyneside; and Teesside will now compete for the overall regional prizes.
Grand Final Details
Winners have been chosen in 10 different categories. The awards, which are headline partnered by Sage UK and in association with Newcastle University, will take place at Hardwick Hall at Sedgefield, County Durham, on October 1.
The competitors for the top prize of North East Business of the Year will be Cramlington-based industrial IoT technology company Transmission Dynamics, Peterlee-based business utilities company Everflow, and Richmond regulatory sciences consulting firm ProPharma.
Previous Winner and Other Contenders
Last year the title was taken by NETPark-based communications solutions firm Filtronic, who joined the judging panel to select this year's winners. Other companies vying for awards include Ford Aerospace, Neptune North, Salesfire and Port of Blyth.
Journal editor Graeme Whitfield – who chaired the judging panel – said: “We have selected a great group of area winners from an amazing list of nominated companies. Every year I’m amazed by the quality of the entries we receive. I’m looking forward to seeing the winners compete for the big regional prizes in October. The awards are always a highlight of the business year.”
Full List of Sub-Regional Winners
The winners of the sub-regional heats now going through to the grand final are:
Made in the North East, in partnership with Made Smarter
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: OES Group Ltd
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: Ford Aerospace
- Winner for Teesside: Binding Solutions Ltd
Business Person of the Year
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: Ian Shipley - Oliver Wyman
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: Andy Broadbent - New College Durham
- Winner for Teesside: Laura Edgar - Aura Infection Control Ltd
Growth Award, in partnership with Azets
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: Neptune North
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: eQuality Solutions Group
- Winner for Teesside: B A Joinery
Small Business of the Year, in partnership with Rust-Oleum
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: BURGER-DROP
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: A Star Attendance Solutions
- Winner for Teesside: Colewood Digital
Innovation Award, in partnership with Newcastle University
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: OnlyCat
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: Everflow
- Winner for Teesside: Salesfire
Business for Good, in partnership with Oliver Wyman
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: Port of Blyth
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: Dalton Park Outlet & Outdoors
- Winner for Teesside: Binding Solutions Ltd
Start-up Award, in partnership with Sage
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: AyoobAI Ltd
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: Wellbeing Lead Academy
- Winner for Teesside: Cognitive HealthTech Ltd
Best Place to Work
- Joint winners for Northumberland & Tyneside: GT3 Architects & Muckle LLP
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: William Smith Group 1832
- Winner for Teesside: Aura Infection Control Ltd
Rising Star, in partnership with Northumbrian Water
- Husain Ayoob - AyoobAI Ltd
- Ryan Bolton - PhysiquePro
- Luke Henderson - NeuroMoney
- Henrietta Newble - AnFiTest
Business of the Year
- Winner for Northumberland & Tyneside: Transmission Dynamics
- Winner for Durham, Sunderland & South Tyneside: Everflow
- Winner for Teesside: ProPharma
To purchase tickets and tables to attend the North East Business Awards in October, please visit the website at nebusinessawards.co.uk.
