BIH Spotlight Awards open for nominations

By James Bayley

Published: 09 July, 2024

Be Inclusive Hospitality (BIH) has opened nominations for the third BIH Spotlight Awards, scheduled for 21 October 2024 at M Threadneedle Street, London. The awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and businesses from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds in the hospitality, food and drink sectors.

Past winners include Jimi Famurewa, Akoko, Rahel Stephanie, Manju Patel and Ahmed Abdalla. This year promises to be bigger, with sponsors Decanter, Deliveroo, OpenTable and Caterer.com, plus 300 guests expected.

Read more: Nominations now open for 50 Best Indies

Award categories for 2024 include:

Individual

Chef of the Year

Pastry Chef of the Year

Rising Star

Writer of the Year

Drinks Professional of the Year

Head Office Impact

Cuisine

African Food

Caribbean Food

East and Southeast Asian Food

South Asian Food

Middle Eastern Food

Business

Bar/Pub of the Year

Brand of the Year

Two People’s Choice awards will be decided by votes

People’s Choice Person of the Year

People’s Choice Restaurant of the Year

Employers and employees are invited to submit nominations in all categories, with self-nominations also welcome. The judging panel, comprising esteemed hospitality leaders like development chef Nitisha Patel, co-founder Monica Berg, founder Peter Martin, chef and writer Akwasi Brenya Mensah and people director Joanne Sullivan, will evaluate submissions.

Co-founder Lorraine Copes said: “I am extremely proud and privileged to bring these awards back for a third time. We all recognise the importance of being seen and celebrated; these awards are designed to do just that. I also emphasise the power of career role models within this industry, and our awards improve the visibility of our industry's best from ethnically diverse backgrounds.”

Judge Akwasi Brenya-Mensah added: “I’m honoured to be part of the judging panel for the BIH Spotlight awards, I think it is really important to have recognition and celebration that is reflective of the breadth, depth and diversity within the UK’s thriving hospitality, food and drinks industry.”

Nominations close on 22 July, with finalists announced on 2 September. Winners will be revealed at the ceremony on 21 October. Nominate here.

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