Member Article

MBCC Awards make dazzling return for 2021

The Multicultural Business & Community Champion (MBCC) Awards is making its comeback, returning in November to honour the nation’s unsung heroes once again. Back for 2021, the MBCC Awards brings with it a star-studded line-up of judges and three brand-new categories to celebrate the champions who helped us all through the year unlike any other.

Taking place on 6 November 2021, the MBCC Awards welcome back headline sponsor Aston University for the second year running. The evening will crown 14 victors who have gone the extra mile, either in the corporate world or for their local community. Nominations are open to all across the country, with organisers on the search to celebrate the wonderful deeds that might otherwise go unnoticed.

This includes three award categories that have also been added for the very first time: ‘Frontline Worker of the Year’ and ‘Lockdown Hero’, dedicated to those who kept us safe and cared for during the pandemic; and a brand-new ‘Social Activist of the Year’ recognition.

The MBCC Awards are headed up by multi-award-winning entrepreneur, Tru Powell, who is excited about bringing them back this year. Tru comments:

“It’s a fantastic feeling to be gearing up to the MBCC Awards again – particularly following an especially challenging 15 months for us all. The effects of the pandemic coupled with the escalation of equality movements like Black Lives Matter and women’s rights campaigns, has left us living in a world that seems truly unrecognisable from the one we once knew.

“Now, as we look ahead to what the future holds and what we want from the “new normal”, I hope we can all agree that it is one in which we prioritise selflessness and compassion. These are the founding principles for the MBCC Awards, and I’m sure I speak on behalf of us all when I say that if ever there was a time to celebrate the good deeds of our fellow human beings, now definitely feels like it!”

Nominations are open until 25 June, following which a round of public votes will decide the finalists for each category. From these, the deserving winners will be selected by famous faces from across both the entertainment and business worlds.

The judging panel boasts household names from Adil Ray OBE and David “Sideman” Whitely, to Jamelia, and Sameena Ali-Khan, who will sit alongside business titans including The Football Association’s Dal Dorrach, The Prince’s Trust’s Jonathan Townsend, The Business Desk’s Lee-J Walker and the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s new Chief Executive Officer, Henrietta Brealey. Also joining them are award-winning entrepreneurs Cordell Jeffers, Jodie Cook, and Justice Williams MBE, as well as industry and community leaders Amer Awan, Keith Shayaam-Smith and Paullette Simpson CBE.

“The nominations we’ve received so far have already blown me away, with the kindness, compassion, and generosity of people across the country. The public and the judges certainly have a tough job ahead of them deciding the winners, and I can’t wait to see who they choose!” concluded Tru.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jodie .