The winners of the gym categories will automatically be entered for the National Gym of the Year Award.

Are you a new gym that's got off to a flying start? Are you filling a gap for quality leisure facilities in your local community or engaging a new audience in exercise? If so, then our Best Newcomer category is for you. To be eligible for this award, you must have opened your club on November 25th 2021 or later - making your business less than two years old on the date of the 2023 National Fitness Awards. Clubs which have been open for longer than this should enter an alternative category. When it comes to picking our finalists, we'll be looking for evidence of why you set up your club, your biggest successes so far and what your plans are to build on its initial success. As well as providing details on the equipment and services you provide, we'll also expect you to tell us about your retention figures, branding and marketing strategies, as well as details of who your team members are and the valuable contribution they make to the smooth running of your facility. This is a hotly contested category and we're looking for the best new gym in the whole of the country, so clubs should make every effort to ensure their entry stands out from the crowd.

From a facility in the heart of the countryside to an inner city site, this category is open to all full-service health clubs. You could be an independent, single site club or one of the best performing sites within a health club chain. All we ask is that you offer the full package. To be successful in this category, you will need to have a fantastic all-round facility which ticks every box; offering everything from a well equipped gym to a comprehensive class timetable, high quality wetside facilities, personal training and spaces for members to relax and interact pre and post workout. You’ll be leading the way with your marketing campaigns, offering first class customer service and have a well qualified team of staff. Your members will probably view you as a home from home – and we want to know why.

For this category, we’re looking for hotels which provide their guests and members with the very best in health and fitness. Whether they’re looking for a place to unwind and relax or want to try the latest fitness class or piece of kit, you’ll have the facilities to help them reach their goals. Both hotel chains and independent hotels are eligible to enter but you must be offering a fitness and spa element to your business. You will need to provide details of exactly what makes you stand out from the crowd. This includes more about your facilities, how you balance the interests of hotel guests with regular members, what you do to go that extra mile to provide a great service and how you’re managing to thrive in a crowded marketplace. If you’re a hotel facility which can claim to be outstanding across the board, this is the category for you.

Are you proud of the service your facility provides for its members? Do you go the extra mile to offer excellent value for money? Are your members proud to belong to your gym? If so, then this is your category. If your club makes the shortlist, we will conduct on-site surveys of a cross-section of your members, focusing on their opinions of your club, its staff and the facilities you provide.

This category is open to all gyms who specifically target the female market. You will be required to provide full details of why you decided to target this particular area of the industry, your marketing campaign, the facilities you provide and your achievements to date.

This award will honour the gym or individual who can demonstrate close involvement with their local community. You're more than just a gym to your members and neighbours - you may have raised money for charity, you might work with local schools or senior citizens' groups to raise awareness of health and fitness, perhaps you take your message out to the whole community or go above and beyond to make your community a better, healthier place to be.

This category is open to all facilities managed by local authorities or leisure trusts. Your centre may have made great strides in recruiting and retaining members, or it may have invested heavily in providing great new facilities. We're looking for gyms that are at the heart of the community with a wide offering for all types of members. Perhaps you have extra facilities like a swimming pool or spa. We want to hear about how you make a difference and how your facility stands out from the rest. Entrants should outline exactly why they are worthy contenders.

This category is aimed at the gyms that focus unashamedly on results. Your membership may be made up of spectacularly successful members in bodybuilding or other competitions. The judges will want to see evidence of this success, how it was achieved and what is being done to sustain it.

This category gives each gym the chance to boast about their members' achievements. Do you have a member who has overcome adversity or a disability to achieve a personal goal? It may be someone who has overcome the trauma of injuries sustained either in an accident or through fighting for their country, or someone who has managed to lose a substantial amount of weight. You will need to provide details of the original goal, how it was achieved and what role your gym played.

This award will acknowledge the importance of the role of the personal trainer within the fitness industry, and the judges will be looking for a person who has shown incredible enthusiasm and determination in identifying the training and development needs of the individual gym members. You will be required to provide details of the trainer's commitment to his/her clients and their achievements. A list of their professional qualifications and whether they are a member of any recognised associations (i.e. REPS, NRPT). Personal trainers must have been operating for a minimum of two years. PTs who have been operating less than two years can enter the newcomer of the year category.

The boutique sector has taken the industry by storm and we are looking for facilities which are leading the way. Do you pride yourself on delivering a five star service throughout every part of your business? Have you found a niche to deliver a certain type of class or workout within a luxury studio environment? Then this is the category for you. Our judges will be looking for evidence on areas including what makes your business boutique, why you’ve decided to enter this section of the market and what you do to go that extra mile for your clients. We’ll also want to hear about any additional services you offer such as a juice bar/cafe or meal prep, the strength of your brand – and any secondary spend opportunities around it – and your future plans for enhancements or expansion.

This category is aimed at gyms which are based within a school or college or on a university campus. We’ll be looking at your range of facilities, how you engage with students, staff and the wider community and how you are successfully spreading the word about health and fitness to the younger generation. Our judges will also want to see evidence of your equipment and classes, how you support any sports clubs or elite athletes who train with you and how your facility enhances the experience of those living and working on your campus. They’ll also be looking at retention, marketing campaigns and customer service, as well as any initiatives you’ve undertaken to boost business in quieter times such as the summer holidays.

This special award will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the sector. It could be someone who has dedicated their entire working life to the fitness industry or has been working in fitness for a shorter period of time but has already made their mark. If you work with or know someone who has excelled and inspired, this is your chance to help them get the recognition they deserve. We’ll need to know more about their career, what they do that makes them so special and how their efforts have really helped to make a difference.

This award is aimed at clubs which are solely dedicated to functional fitness, as well as traditional gyms that have created dedicated functional areas to tap into this growing trend. You should provide details of why you chose to focus on functional fitness, any specialist equipment you have which makes you stand out from the crowd and any impressive results your members have seen from training in this way.

From aerobics to Zumba, group exercise is a consistently popular draw for clubs. We'll be asking to see evidence of your group exercise timetable, any specialist qualifications held by your staff and details of how you promote your classes to members and the wider community. We'll also be looking at the variety of classes you provide, how easy you make it for people to book in to and cancel sessions, and how you are keeping up to date with any new trends in the group exercise world.

This category is open to any gym from this region; from a small independent to a local authority/leisure trust operated centre or a club which is part of a nationwide chain. While the standard of equipment on offer and size and range of your facilities will be considered, in this category we will be particularly looking at what makes you stand out from other gyms in your area, with a strong focus on marketing, customer service, retention and innovation. And if you make the shortlist, we will want feedback from both your staff and members on what being part of your club means to them. You don't have to be the biggest gym in your region or offer the most expensive kit to succeed in this category, but you do have to have the drive, passion and commitment to create a business which is proving to be an essential part of the community you serve. In short, you will have a facility to be proud of - and will want to shout about it.

This category is open to any gym from this region; from a small independent to a local authority/leisure trust operated centre or a club which is part of a nationwide chain. While the standard of equipment on offer and size and range of your facilities will be considered, in this category we will be particularly looking at what makes you stand out from other gyms in your area, with a strong focus on marketing, customer service, retention and innovation. And if you make the shortlist, we will want feedback from both your staff and members on what being part of your club means to them. You don't have to be the biggest gym in your region or offer the most expensive kit to succeed in this category, but you do have to have the drive, passion and commitment to create a business which is proving to be an essential part of the community you serve. In short, you will have a facility to be proud of - and will want to shout about it.

This category is open to any gym from this region; from a small independent to a local authority/leisure trust operated centre or a club which is part of a nationwide chain. While the standard of equipment on offer and size and range of your facilities will be considered, in this category we will be particularly looking at what makes you stand out from other gyms in your area, with a strong focus on marketing, customer service, retention and innovation. And if you make the shortlist, we will want feedback from both your staff and members on what being part of your club means to them. You don't have to be the biggest gym in your region or offer the most expensive kit to succeed in this category, but you do have to have the drive, passion and commitment to create a business which is proving to be an essential part of the community you serve. In short, you will have a facility to be proud of - and will want to shout about it.

This category is open to any gym from this region; from a small independent to a local authority/leisure trust operated centre or a club which is part of a nationwide chain. While the standard of equipment on offer and size and range of your facilities will be considered, in this category we will be particularly looking at what makes you stand out from other gyms in your area, with a strong focus on marketing, customer service, retention and innovation. And if you make the shortlist, we will want feedback from both your staff and members on what being part of your club means to them. You don't have to be the biggest gym in your region or offer the most expensive kit to succeed in this category, but you do have to have the drive, passion and commitment to create a business which is proving to be an essential part of the community you serve. In short, you will have a facility to be proud of - and will want to shout about it.

This award will be presented to the team who are able to best demonstrate a shared vision and agreed goals. You'll work as a team to provide the best customer service and member experience as well as being able to demonstrate a commitment to the workplace and respect and support for each other. The team should have an excellent communication process and each member should have a clear defined role and each person's skills should be recognised within the team. Examples of how teamwork has solved a problem or led to improvements or made a difference to either the facility of members should be included. 

Exercising outdoors is not a new phenomenon but it has risen in popularity in recent times. Maybe it is a standalone outdoor gym or perhaps it's been a valuable addition to an existing site. You may be located in the heart of a big inner-city or out in the countryside but you will offer a unique and inclusive site. We want to hear what you offer, how you market your facility and why you are the best at what you do.

Membership campaigns come in all shapes and sizes, using many different mediums to get your message out and new members in. We're looking for an innovative, successful campaign whether that's through social media, direct, open days, print media or other channels or a combination of them all. Give us as much information as you can on how you delivered your promotion.