NBF Member Awards
Rules of Entry
Open to NBF manufacturer and supplier members only.
The entry form(s) must be completed and submitted online by the stated deadline for each category. You can enter more than one category, but only submit one entry per category.
Please check each category for the deadline to enter.
All judges will be revealed in due course.
The Award Categories
Bed Manufacturer of the Year – deadline: Monday 3rd August, 5pm
The judges will be looking for the company that demonstrates success over the 12 months from July 2025 to June 2026. Within your entry, you should consider covering key areas of your business, such as:
Financial performance – headline numbers for the qualifying period.
Corporate Social Responsibility – sustainability, investment & employment, customer service.
New product innovation – what innovations/new product designs have you developed for 2025-26?
Marketing – what are your standout marketing moments for 2025-26?
Other – tell us about any other standout moments for your business.
Please note that if you are shortlisted for the Bed Manufacturer of the Year Award, you will be asked to put forward a spokesperson to discuss your entry via an online meeting with the judges. The meeting will last 15 – 20 minutes max. Interview date tbc. Please think of an appropriate spokesperson in the meantime.
Supplier of the Year – deadline: Monday 3rd August, 5pm
The judges will be looking for the company that demonstrates success over the 12 months from July 2025 to June 2026. Within your entry, you should consider covering key areas of your business, such as:
Financial performance – headline numbers for the qualifying period.
Corporate Social Responsibility – sustainability, investment & employment, customer service.
New product innovation – what innovations/new product designs have you developed for 2025-26?
Marketing – what are your standout marketing moments for 2025-26?
Other – tell us about any other standout moments for your business.
Please note that if you are shortlisted for the Supplier of the Year, you will be asked to put forward a spokesperson to discuss your entry via an online meeting with the judges. The meeting will last 15 – 20 minutes max. Interview date tbc. Please think of an appropriate spokesperson in the meantime.
Bed Product of the Year – deadline: Monday 7th September, 5pm
This award is only open to NBF members who will be exhibiting at the Bed Show, recognising the manufacturer with the most outstanding new product launched since the 2025 Bed Show or due to be launched at this year’s Bed Show.
It may be a complete bed set, a mattress, bed frame, sofa bed or headboard.
The judges will be scoring the entries on the following criteria, so please ensure you address these in your entry:
Aesthetics
Materials used
Eco-design credentials
Innovation
Value
Target customer
Marketing support
How does it support better sleep? *NEW for 2026*.
Other
Component Product of the Year – deadline: Monday 7th September, 5pm
This award is open to NBF supplier members only, who will be exhibiting at the Bed Show. It will be awarded to the most innovative component product or machine used in manufacturing a finished product (e.g., spring, foam, fabric, fibre, slat, castor etc). It must have been launched since the 2025 Bed Show or will be launched at this year’s Bed Show and will be made widely available commercially.
The judges will be scoring the entries on the following criteria, so please ensure you address these in your entry:
Innovation
Eco-design credentials
Filling a perceived gap in the market
Value
Marketing support
Other
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS & TOP TIPS – PLEASE READ
- For the product awards, the main element of your entry should be the Executive Summary of no more than 750 words. For members entering the company awards, pay attention to the word limit for each criterion. Add your main point at the beginning and reinforce.
- Please study the criteria the judges will be looking at in the category and ensure you address each one in your summary.
- Pay attention to the maximum number of attachments to accompany your entry and use them wisely. Please, no fancy videos. They won’t influence the judges’ decisions, which will be based on content.
- This will only be looked at IF the Executive Summary persuades the judges it’s worth delving further! Please do not include links to further material in your supporting documents.
- Do not reprint general information that can easily be found on websites or in company literature.
- Allow yourself plenty of time to consider and develop your entry, but don’t miss the relevant deadlines. Please check the deadline for each category.
- Back your entry up with solid evidence for any specific claims or statistics you make in your entry e.g. screenshots of Google Analytics, your CRM or social media insights.
- Include feedback and endorsements. Independent feedback, especially from customers or suppliers, can be very persuasive, whether it’s from evaluation forms, social media comments or complimentary emails.
- Use spell check and ask someone outside of your business to proofread your entry – this will make sure that it makes sense. Save and read again later with fresh eyes.
- We may ask you to provide further details about your entry, if necessary. So please ensure the correct contact details are provided.
- Bed Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year entrants: If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to put forward a spokesperson to discuss your entry with the judges. Interview date tbc. Please think of an appropriate spokesperson in the meantime.
Entry Forms
Your confirmation will appear on the screen after you click ‘Submit’ and you will receive a confirmation email (check spam/junk folders).
Member Company Awards Entry Form
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Member Product Awards Entry Form
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The Judges
Steve Adams (Mattress Online)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Steve Adams
Steve is the founder and CEO of Mattress Online, one of the UK’s leading online mattress retailers. With over 20 years’ e-commerce experience, Steve has transformed Mattress Online into the award-winning, multi-million-pound retailer that we know today.
Successfully navigating diverse market challenges, Steve’s tenacity and innovative spirit have been instrumental in scaling Mattress Online into a highly-profitable business.
Steve’s vision for development and expansion heralds the next generation of Mattress Online’s evolution. Increasing market share, boosting the management team and elevating customer experience will be key to Mattress Online’s future success.
Natalie Armstrong (Sealy UK)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Natalie Armstrong
Natalie is the Product Development Manager at Sealy UK. She leads new product development initiatives from conception to launch and has a keen understanding of what makes an award-winning product. With her expertise, Sealy won the Bed Product of the Year award in 2022.
Sue Davies (Sue Davies Design Solutions)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Sue Davies
Sue trained as a surface pattern/textile designer and her first job was working at Hilden manufacturing as a woven cad designer and fabric developer for mattress tickings and upholstery fabric. In 2002 she went on to become Group Textile Design Manager for the Silentnight Group until 2012 when she set up her own business. She now designs products for various bed companies and is also an agent for BekaertDeslee, assisting in sales, design and new ticking and cover development for the UK bed market.
James Dunne (Prestige Beds)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About James Dunne
James joined the family business full time in 2005 at 18, following a conversation with his father and late grandfather. Starting out as a delivery driver, which he enjoyed for four years, James was promoted to sales before getting more involved in marketing, buying, merchandising and e-commerce in his mid – late twenties. James took up his current role as operations director in 2018, after almost 18 years in the business.
Paul Farley (Furniture News)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Paul Farley
Paul Farley joined Furniture News in 2006 and has been its editor since 2008. The magazine is the longest established of today’s furniture trade titles, starting life as Pine News International in 1986 and expanding its coverage across all domestic furniture as Furniture News from 2001.
A veteran NBF Award judge, Paul also co-ordinates The Furniture Awards, and is the Secretary General of the International Alliance of Furnishing Publications (IAFP).
Stuart Hibbert (Shire Beds)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Stuart Hibbert
Chief Operating Officer with The Shire Bed Company, Stuart has over 40 years’ experience in the mattress & bed industry. From Sales Agent to Sales Director along with Co-Founding Breasley Consumer, where he pioneered the vacuum-packed mattress market, whilst serving on the NBF board, latterly as President, where he helped launch the NBF Code of Practice.
He has an in-depth knowledge of the industry he loves and has created many successful collections through innovative product development.
Hayley Hodgson (Silentnight)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Hayley Hodgson
Hayley Hodgson is the New Product Introduction (NPI) and Master Data Management (MDM) Manager at Silentnight, with over 14 years of experience in the bed industry. Having worked across NPI and MDM, she has been involved in bringing products from concept through to launch. Hayley enjoys working collaboratively across teams to help turn ideas into products that reach customers, while ensuring the data behind them is accurate and well managed.
Dave Morris (Sleepeezee)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Dave Morris
Dave has over 30 years’ valuable experience of working in the bed industry at Sleepeezee and has been involved in production, logistics, quality assurance, purchasing and product development.
James Wilson 'The Sleep Geek'
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About James Wilson
James is a sleep activist, coach, and educator. He is the founder of Sleepunity, providing sleep training and wellbeing services for organisations as well as offering product development advice to mattress manufacturers. A third-generation member of a bed industry family, James brings together industry heritage, professional expertise, and lived experience to help people sleep better and to help the sleep products industry better serve the needs of sleepers.
Ross Yeardley (Healthbeds)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Ross Yeardley
Sales Director at Healthbeds, Ross has spent the last decade learning the bed industry from the ground up, progressing from the factory floor and logistics into sales and product development. This hands-on experience across every level of manufacturing gives him a practical understanding of how components translate into real-world consumer benefits. Ross is a strong advocate for product-led innovation, focusing on how quality materials and clever design can solve genuine sleep problems for the end user.
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