The Enterprise Oxfordshire Business Marketplace and Celebration event shines a light on the incredible SMEs, innovators and leaders right here in the county.
Oxfordshire businesses are being encouraged to seek the recognition they deserve and enter the 2026 Enterprise Oxfordshire Business Marketplace and Celebration event (MAC 26) awards, ahead of the close date for entries on Monday 10th August.
Following the initial extension of the entry deadline, businesses have just under two weeks to enter categories such as ‘Business Leader of the Year’, ‘Start-Up of the Year’ and ‘Growth Business of the Year’ ahead of the awards evening taking place on Wednesday 4th November at Oxford Town Hall.
To take part in the Marketplace and Celebration event – or to be nominated for an award – businesses or individuals should have engaged with Enterprise Oxfordshire Business at any point since April 2022.
Bringing together dozens of people from Oxfordshire’s business community, the event also showcases a wide range of organisations through a special marketplace arrangement, before the night’s winners are announced.
This year’s event will follow in the footsteps of previous gatherings, which have created a critical space for leaders and entrepreneurs to network, share business ideas and celebrate commercial achievements.
Last year’s event – which was also held at the city’s Town Hall – brought together around 200 people from across the county, representing a range of sectors.
The full list of awards – which are free to enter – are as follows:
- The Socially Responsible Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Tap Social
- The Innovation in Customer Experience of the Year Award – sponsored by Stephen Spencer + Associates
- The Start-up of the Year Award – sponsored by Cypher
- The Business Leader of the Year Award – sponsored by the Institute of Directors
- The Environmentally Sustainable Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Velocity Cycle Couriers
- The Growth Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Olamalu
The Overall Winner Award will be selected by Headline Sponsor Oxfordshire County Council from the winners of each category.
Enterprise Oxfordshire have also announced esteemed mindset coach, speaker and author Mark Franklin as the guest speaker at the event, sharing his experiences over 20-plus years in helping business owners to embrace their ‘four fears’ – ‘the four most common mindset barriers preventing them from having the business (and life) of their dreams.’ ®
Sarah Beal, Business Support Service Manager at Enterprise Oxfordshire, said: “Our track record of impact, combined with opportunities such as the Marketplace and Celebration Event, showcases the real value of engaging with Enterprise Oxfordshire Business.
“These platforms give businesses and entrepreneurs the chance to connect, showcase what they do and access the support that can help them take their next step with confidence.”
The event forms part of Enterprise Oxfordshire Business’ ongoing commitment to the county’s business community – whether organisations are starting out, growing or taking on a new challenge – after unveiling their continued business support offering earlier this year.
Part of this continued support comes through the Helping High Streets programme, which follows on from the success of the Government-funded programme of the same name run by Enterprise Oxfordshire earlier in the year.
The Oxfordshire High Street Summit took place in March and offered the opportunity to bring together the county’s high street businesses to connect, share challenges and highlight their role as a key part of Oxfordshire’s thriving business landscape.
Sarah Beal added: “Whether a business is just starting out or looking to scale, we want to encourage people across the county to engage with us, access support and be part of Oxfordshire’s growing business community. This includes businesses across all sectors, and we’d love to celebrate our high street businesses too.
“With only days to go before the awards close to entries, we’d strongly urge anyone who has engaged with us over the past four years to think about entering – even if you’re not sure it’s for you – it’s free and you never know, this could be your year!”.
Local economic development functions – formerly led by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) – were brought under the oversight of Oxfordshire County Council in April 2025 and are now delivered through Enterprise Oxfordshire.
Enterprise Oxfordshire currently oversees the delivery of a comprehensive range of business, skills, investment and trade support services, as well as supporting a variety of strategies to drive Oxfordshire’s economic potential in a sustainable and inclusive way.
Oxfordshire County Council now acts as Enterprise Oxfordshire’s sole 100% shareholder.
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