In a world of shrinking funds and burgeoning student numbers, the significance and professionalisation of school business managers (SBMs) is on the rise. That’s why this year we want to celebrate all their hard work, and showcase the incredible impact they have on schools.

These awards focus solely on the achievements of SBMs and are open to professionals working in all state and independent primary, secondary and special schools in the UK. We’re looking for the leading lights in the profession whose work has transformed the whole school community – and could be an inspiration to others in the profession.

The awards relate to achievements made during the 2014-15 academic year. Entries based on projects or initiatives that began earlier are acceptable as long as the achievements took place during 2014-15.

Entry for the awards is completely free and you put yourself forward or nominate someone. There are eight categories to choose from so there are plenty of awards up for grabs – you can find the details of all these here. You can enter as many of the categories as you wish, but you will need to complete a separate submission form for each. Check out our page on entry tips and the judging criteria here.

Entries open on Thursday 18 June 2015 and close at 5pm on Wednesday 30 September 2015. There can only be one award per category – there are no joint winners and no cash prizes.