A hunt to find the UK's top small business is under way - and firms in Kent are being urged to nominate themselves.

The annual awards, organised by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), hopes to shine the spotlight on small operations which make up 99.9% of all private sector businesses.

Entries are being accepted now for the Celebrating Small Business Awards with 12 area finals - which includes the south east - taking place between January and April next year, culminating in a grand final on May 23 at Evolution Battersea in London.

FSB national chairman Mike Cherry said: “Small businesses and the self-employed from across the UK contribute so much to our economy and our communities. The FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards recognise the best, most innovative and most determined of these, from every sector, industry and background.

“This is why we choose to keep entries to the awards free, and have them open to all smaller businesses and self-employed people, whether they are current FSB members or not. The entrepreneurial spirit in the UK is alive and well, with small businesses now numbering an incredible 5.7 million. Everyone should help us to celebrate that.”

The award categories for the 2019 FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards are:

• International Business of the Year
• Ethical and Green Business of the Year
• Business and Product Innovation Award
• Digital Innovation of the Year
• Micro Business of the Year
• Start-Up Business of the Year
• Scale-Up Business of the Year
• Family Business of the Year
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year (aged 30 and under)
• Employer of the Year
• Community Award (area level only)

The awards are free to enter and are open to all small firms. To enter, visit the awards website.