How to apply for the 2021 China-Scotland Business Awards, and a look at one of this year’s winners, Calnex

Entries to the 2021 China-Scotland Business Awards are now open. As part of our countdown to the next event, we take a look at the companies that came out on top this year. First up, winners of the 2o2o Exporter of the Year Award, Calnex

Tommy Cook is CEO of Scottish technology company Calnex, which won the 2020 Exporter of the Year Award. Calnex is a specialist technology manufacturer that produces testing equipment that allows major electronics companies to enter their products into market. Having captured something of a niche, Calnex provides solutions to all the main global electronics manufacturing companies, punching well above its weight, and is a great example of a successful Scottish exporter.

Here’s what Cook has to say about his China business:

Entries to the China-Scotland Business Awards are now open.
How can you apply?

• The online application form can be saved, so you can return to it at any time and edit it right up until the deadline at midnight (BST) on 5th November 2020.
• Please be aware that you are required to submit a three-minute video in support of your application. The video should be submitted via a YouTube link added to the online application form. More details on how to upload to YouTube can be found here. The video will provide the judges with extra information from which to select the winners of each category. See more details on content below.
• The organisers reserve the right, at their discretion, to reject any applications that are deemed to be inappropriate and the decision of the judges is final.

FAQs

Can my organisation make more than one application?
Yes, your organisation may apply more than once. For example, various departments from a university may make separate applications within the same category or across multiple other award categories. Only one application can be submitted per category, it is not permitted to send the same application for two different award categories.

Can I attach documents to support my application?
Yes, you may attach up to three separate documents through the online application form. Please note, each attachment should be no more than one page in PDF or one picture in .jpeg format – the maximum size of each attachment cannot exceed 20Mb. Attachments that are more than one page will not be reviewed by the judges.

How are the applications assessed?
One judge, specialised in his or her award category, will score each award category individually. Each question in your application is scored out of 10. Once the scores are counted the judge picks a number of shortlisted candidates, based on the overall scoring and overall quality of applications in the group – the China-Britain Business Council has final discretion on the number of shortlisted candidates.

Once all categories have been shortlisted, the full judging panel will come together to view each shortlisted candidate’s video. The judging panel will then vote for each category winner based on their application score and their video.

How do I submit the required three-minute video pitch?
The video should be to the standard of that taken on a handheld mobile recording device or better – it is not necessary to produce a professional video solely for these awards unless you really wish to do so. It is the content which matters. We would encourage applicants to show their product or service in the three-minute video as this often helps bring your application to life for the judging panel during the assessment process.

YouTube is the preferred option for uploading video content and we would encourage applicants to amend their video to the unlisted option when uploading a video to YouTube. Click here to learn how to change videos to be Unlisted. The time limit for videos is three minutes maximum. Any video content beyond three minutes will not be viewed during final awarding assessments.

Where do I submit the three-minute video?
Once the video content has been uploaded to YouTube then you must provide the full URL link in your online application where requested.

What should be covered in the three-minute video?
The video offers the opportunity for you to showcase your business, team or product/service to the full panel of judges. The three-minute video does not need to be the business leader speaking for three minutes, it can include a demonstration of your product or service, have customer testimonials or show some of the team hard at work.

When can I reserve a table for the awards?
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is as yet unclear whether or not we shall be able to host an in-person dinner on 4th February, although the date is being held at the Waldorf Astoria, Edinburgh should an ease of restrictions allow.

If a physical event remains impossible, we will host the awards ceremony virtually on 4th February, more details of which will be shared closer to the time.