As deadlines loom, the Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh has called on people across the city to nominate outstanding volunteers and organisations for special recognition from the Queen. 

Frank Ross hopes to see the exceptional contributions made by some of the city’s brightest and best businesses and most dedicated volunteers shortlisted for the 2019 Queen’s Award for Enterprise and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The prestigious Honours – equivalent in status to the MBE – are accepting nominations until Friday 14 September.

The request came as the Lord Lieutenant visited the headquarters of HotDocs, local software developer and division of AbacusNext International, to present employees with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Based in Edinburgh’s West End, AbacusNext International has over 1.5m users in 60 countries and HotDocs’ document automation software is a signature piece of their platform. The team was delighted to achieve the award for International Trade in recognition of thriving overseas growth, and plan to continue that growth by expanding their product offerings in the UK, EU and beyond.

Gary Eunson, Global Sales Director for HotDocs, said: “We are proud to have been named a Queen’s Award winner for the second time in five years.

“This achievement is a testament to the passion and dedication of our entire organisation and the success our sales team has had growing our business overseas. The international appetite for HotDocs is undeniable, and we plan to continue our aggressive growth strategy in 2018 and beyond.”

Lord Lieutenant Frank Ross said: “For a small city, we have long punched well above our weight in Edinburgh, placing ourselves on the international stage as a fantastic place to live and work in, visit and invest. It is no wonder so many innovative enterprises are established here, succeed here, and are worthy of such recognition.

“It is a pleasure to present the Queen’s Award for Enterprise to HotDocs. They are pioneers in their field and this is an extraordinary accomplishment – one which recognises the tireless work of their team and their now international reach and success.”

In July, the Lord Lieutenant presented the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service to two local initiatives, Edinburgh Leisure’s Ageing Well Project and LINKNet Mentoring Ltd.

He added: “In my role as Lord Provost, I am lucky to be able to meet many inspiring volunteers who make a huge contribution to local people’s lives. A prestigious National Honour such as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service can prove invaluable in so many ways. If you know a big-hearted citizen deserving of this award, please don’t hesitate. Nominate them now.”