A CONTROVERSIAL decision to block the award of a top prize provoked uproar at a glitzy presentation ceremony.

For the first time in the 14-year history of the prestigious Kent Business Awards, a trophy was withheld because the judge claimed entries were not good enough.

But many of the 530 VIPs, senior business people and their guests in a huge marquee at Leeds Castle were incensed by the decision.

The hostile reception overshadowed the achievements of winners on what is normally a night of celebration of Kent and Medway business life. Several awards had already been presented in the usual way when Mike Lazenby, chief executive of Kent Reliance Building Society, took the stage.

The UK’s fastest-growing building society, based in Chatham, had sponsored a new Innovation in Business category. Three finalists were shortlisted.

Staff and supporters of Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen, Canterbury; Laplight by Eyebright, Tankerton; and Lightmaker Group, Tunbridge Wells eagerly awaited the verdict.

Would it be joy for one and despair for two?

It proved to be despair for all three when Mr Lazenby ruled out any winner. He had harsh words for all the entrants that cast doubt on the quality of innovation in Kent.

"There were some good entries but to win this award you haven’t just got to be good, you’ve got to be the best," he said.

"I wasn’t satisfied that there was one outstanding winner in this category so I took advice and we came to the conclusion that we couldn’t offer one outstanding award as number one.

"So what we’d like to do is award a highly commended to all three finalists because they all did very well. 'They just weren’t the best."

But Sian Holt, founder of Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen, was defiant. After accepting her highly commended certificate, she told the VIP audience of her disappointment at the decision.

Defying ITV Meridian presenter Charlotte Hawkins’s request to leave the podium, she declared to cheers: "Hooray for my company, we’re marvellous. I would rather have lost."

She was given a standing ovation all the way from the platform to her table at the back of the marquee.

Afterwards, surrounded by well-wishers praising her stand, she said: "I felt equally sorry for all three finalists. We came here wanting to celebrate the fact that we are the best.

"“We are totally and utterly innovative. Innovation has turned us from making a loss into making a profit. It’s a sad reflection on Kent Reliance Building Society."

Mr Lazenby later defended the right of judges to withhold awards. He did not regret his verdict.

"I know the lady from Fudge Kitchen was unhappy but the fact is nobody was innovative enough to win the award," he said.

Cllr Alex King, deputy leader of Kent County Council, said the evening was about celebrating success and innovation and claimed that Mr Lazenby's ill-judged words had spoilt the evening.

He said: "Judges and sponsors will need to reflect before for next year’s awards – how easy it is to mar the enjoyment of an eager audience and well-motivated finalists with a few ill-judged words."

However, Mr Lazenby’s decision was not universally unpopular. Several guests said it had livened up proceedings and made the ceremony the most interesting they had ever attended.

Full awards round-up and pictures in the free, July edition of Kent Business.