The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is delighted to announce their Quarter-Finalists for this year’s Licensee of the Year Award (LOYA).
In partnership with Sky Business, the Licensee of the Year Award is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK.
Since the launch in January this year, those working in the licensed trade were encouraged to enter to showcase their businesses, sharing how they have continued to diversify and develop their businesses to become more sustainable and thrive.
With 800 licensees nominated by colleagues, customers and friends, the exceptionally high standard of entries this year made selecting the Quarter-Finalists a challenging task for the judges, with those chosen from the 800 entrants progressing based on the strength of their applications.
The next steps involve each Quarter-Finalist receiving a visit from a mystery diner or drinker, alongside online audits conducted by the BII team to assess the pub’s social media presence and website.
Steve Alton, BII CEO commented: “Our Licensee of the Year Award is the most prestigious & hard-fought award, showing the excellence in our sector. We are delighted to have had so many entries in 2026, despite the challenges that our sector has faced over the last few years, showing, as ever, the resilience and commitment of our licensees.
“We are proud that these awards offer a value-added experience to all those involved with business insight and the chance to evaluate their businesses at every stage, from mystery diner visits and feedback, right through to our final judging day at Sky HQ.
“The best of luck to everyone involved this year and I look forward to meeting our finalists in June for their final judging day.”
The BII will announce their Semi-Finalists in April, who will then receive a visit and interview at their premises with Head Judges, Amanda Hemming and Ashley McCarthy to help decide on the final six!
All six finalists will be presented with a trophy at the BII Summer Event on 16th June, where the winner of Licensee of the Year 2026 will ultimately be crowned.
The BII would like to thank everyone who has entered the competition this year. Keep your eyes peeled for another opportunity to enter in January 2027.
The 2026 Licensee of the Year Quarter-Finalists can all be found on the BII website here
