Kempston woman could win £10k after being shortlisted for national entrepreneur award

A female founder from Bedfordshire has been shortlisted for the 2026 Tide everywoman Entrepreneur Awards, which recognise some of the UK’s most exceptional women in business.

Georgia Testa, founder and director of Studio 281 in Kempston, is among 22 finalists selected from nearly 1,000 entries nationwide. Testa is shortlisted for the Scale Up Award, presented by Saffery.

Now in its 24th year, the awards celebrate female entrepreneurs across sectors including technology, accountancy, education, fashion, health, and social care. One finalist will receive a £10,000 grant from headline partner Tide to help grow their business, with the winners announced on 2 December at The Londoner in Leicester Square.

The awards sit at the heart of AllBright everywoman’s Female Founder Collective, giving founders year-round access to opportunities, connections and growth-focused insight
Since 2003, the awards have helped hundreds of women raise their profile, win new business and make connections that change the course of their companies.

Sophie Catto, managing director of AllBright everywoman, said: “These finalists are building brilliant businesses at a time when running one has rarely been tougher. Their ambition is exactly what the UK economy needs right now and it deserves to be backed. Making the shortlist isn’t the finish line, and through the Female Founder Collective, they will join a community that will provide practical support and mentorship and keep opening doors for them long after the ceremony.” 

George Schmidt, CEO of Tide UK/Europe, said: “These incredible founders have built something real, and they’ve done it in a tough climate for small business. In our second year as headline partner, what we keep hearing is that the idea is rarely the hard part; it’s keeping going when money is tight and time is tighter. That’s why we’re proud to support more than 200,000 female-founded businesses in the UK, and why on 2 December we’ll put £10,000 behind one of this year’s finalists. It won’t fix everything, but it can give them breathing space to make a real decision about what happens next. Congratulations to all the finalists.”

The Tide everywoman Entrepreneur Awards winners will be announced on December 2 at The Londoner, Leicester Square. To find out more about the finalists visit www.allbrighteverywoman.com/entrepreneur-awards