In-person event due to return to the Grosvenor House Hotel on Thursday 11 November, 2021.
The Progressive Preschool Awards 2021 are open for entries, with the entry and judging process once again taking place online.
A dedicated online portal is now ready to receive entries across the Retail, Product, Marketing & Communications, Wholesaler/Distributor and Outstanding Achievement categories.
All product categories will be judged by an extensive panel of retailers, while the retailer and marketing award categories will be assessed by a panel of industry experts, all making their decisions from the comfort of their own homes, shop floors or offices. The deadline for entering the product categories is Friday 30 July 2021. For the special awards – including Best Distributor, Marketing and Outstanding Achievement – entries are open until Friday 6 August 2021.
The Retail categories, meanwhile (both nomination and self nomination), are open until Friday 13 August 2021.
Entry for the product awards continues to be as quick and easy as always – instead of sending in physical product, suppliers will simply need to sign up to the website and upload the relevant images and information for each range being entered. Entries remain completely free of charge and can be updated and amended right up until the closing date.
The decision to keep both the entries and judging online for another year was taken after it successfully allowed for an increased number of entries for 2020’s awards, plus an even wider judging panel than usual. This included buyers from Tesco, John Lewis, Bentalls, Toymaster, The Entertainer, plus specialist independent stores.
“It’s seriously exciting to get on with planning a real live event, not least a real industry favourite such as the PPS Awards,” enthused publisher, Rob Willis. “Over the last few weeks we’ve been thrilled at the level of incoming support and encouragement for our live event portfolio this year and after what we’ve all been through, we expect to have a lot of fun.
“May I take this opportunity to thank the industry for keeping behind us and I cannot wait to welcome you in London, in November.”
The event has once again garnered a swell of support from the preschool industry, with key sponsors confirming their involvement for 2021.
“We can’t wait for this year’s Progressive Preschool Awards to return to its physical format,” commented Rebecca Deeming, public relations and events manager at the BTHA. “Toy Fair is proud to continue to sponsor such a great event and with preschool products a key driver of the UK toy market, it’s important that we can come together as an industry to celebrate the preschool sector’s successes.”
Robert Anslow from Harrogate International Nursery Fair added: “The Harrogate International Nursery Fair team is proud to sponsor the Progressive Preschool Awards and looks forward to attending what is always a very professional and well-polished event.
“This year will be particularly special, having not been able to meet up for so long – and will be just weeks after our show in October. It will be another great opportunity to meet up with industry colleagues and celebrate the best of what the nursery sector has to offer.”
After last year’s event was hosted virtually due to the pandemic, the PPS Awards 2021 will return as an in-person event, taking place at the Grosvenor House Hotel on the afternoon of Thursday 11 November. Click here to visit our dedicated ticketing site for table and ticket information.
All ticket and table bookings are fully refundable, without penalty, should the pandemic further alter these plans.
For general enquires on the PPS Awards 2021, please contact Rob Willis, Jo Pilcher or Samantha Loveday by clicking on their respective names.
