Entries open for Northern Tech Awards 2026

In their 13th year, the awards shine a spotlight on the fastest growing and most promising tech companies in the North of the UK.

The event features two programmes. The Top 100 ranks the fastest-growing technology companies over the past three years; eligible companies must operate in the tech sector and have generated at least £500,000 in revenue in 2023. An expert judging panel also selects seven Judges’ Awards. In 2025, entrants generated a combined £2.51bn in revenue.

The Northern Stars programme highlights earlier-stage companies that do not yet meet the Top 100 revenue threshold. Ten companies are selected to compete for four dedicated Judges’ Awards and to participate alongside the Top 100 at the event.

Entries are open until 20 March 2026.

Previous winners at the Northern Tech Awards include: ConnexAI, Evolution Funding, LADbible, Matillion, OpenCast, Skyscanner, The Hut Group and Vespertec.

Shortlisted companies will be announced on 9 April 2026, in GP Bullhound’s annual Northern Tech 100 League Table, which highlights the Top 100 fastest-growing tech companies in the North.

The winners and the Top 100 will be celebrated at an exclusive award ceremony on Thursday 23 April 2026, at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester. This event will be attended by entrepreneurs, CEOs, and business leaders who are at the forefront of the region’s digital economy.

The 2026 Award Categories are:

• Fastest Growing Company of the Year (with revenues under £10m in 2023)

• Fastest Growing Larger Company of the Year (with revenues over £10m in 2023)

• Judges’ Innovation Award

• Judges’ Award for Global Ambition

• Judges’ Leadership Award

• Judges’ Award for Cultural Excellence

• Tech4Good Award

• Judges’ Entrepreneur Award

• Overall Judges’ Award

The region’s Top Northern Star Awards:

• Northern Star Innovation Award

• Northern Star Award for Commercial Success

• Judges’ Leadership Award

• Northern Star Overall Judges’ Award

Hugh Campbell, managing partner at GP Bullhound, said: "The North is shaping the future of the UK’s technology economy. Driven by ambitious founders, deep technical talent, and a growing base of global investors, the region has evolved into a truly connected innovation ecosystem.

"With its concentration of high-growth companies, world-class universities, and global connectivity, Manchester provides the ideal setting to celebrate the North’s most ambitious technology businesses. The Northern Tech Awards stands as a symbol of the region’s momentum, and we are proud to recognise the companies and leaders building technologies that will define the next decade.”

The 2026 Northern Tech Awards are proudly sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking, Apprentify, Elevare Software Group, Cazenove Capital, Inflexion, Squire Patton Boggs, London Stock Exchange, Oakley Capital and YFM Equity Partners.

For enquiries, please contact northerntechawards@gpbullhound.com or visit www.northerntechawards.com.

This article was authored by Unknown for Insider Media and published under the title 'Entries open for Northern Tech Awards 2026', on Entries open for Northern Tech Awards 2026 | Insider Media. It is reproduced above in accordance with section 30(2) of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.