Five Awards. Two Cities. One GoodShip* Making Waves.

Five award nominations, two cities and one shared mission. This week, GoodShip celebrates recognition for our work in creativity, technology, AI education and building communities that make a difference.*

This Thursday, 15th October, is going to be a pretty special day for GoodShip*. We're heading to two awards ceremonies, shortlisted for five awards, and feeling incredibly proud of the positive wake we're starting to leave behind.

We'll be splitting the crew across two cities. Gavin will be in Manchester for the Prolific North Tech Awards, while Abu and Shawla will be flying the GoodShip* flag at the Merseyside Independent Business Awards (MIBs) in Liverpool.

Not bad for a little ship* with some big ambitions.

Five nominations. One shared purpose.

At the Prolific North Tech Awards, we're shortlisted for:

• Tech Start-up of the Year (Less than 5 Employees), recognising the growth and ambition behind GoodShip*.

• Tech for Good: Skills & Employment, recognising the impact of our AI Activator programme.

• Ecosystem Champion, recognising Gavin's work bringing people, businesses and communities together.

And at the Merseyside Independent Business Awards, we're finalists for:

• Best Start-Up

• Digital & Technology Business of the Year

Five nominations that reflect different parts of what we're creating, but all connected by the same values and purpose.

It's about the way we do things.

GoodShip* is a Liverpool-based purpose and impact agency bringing together creativity, technology, artificial intelligence and community to help organisations grow, solve challenges and make a positive difference.

We've always believed that business should be about more than simply doing business.

It's about people. Purpose. Curiosity. Creativity. Community. And having the bravery to challenge how things have always been done.

We don't always follow the conventional route. We ask questions, explore possibilities, back good people and bring different minds together to make things happen that might not otherwise happen.

Whether that's helping students discover new opportunities through AI Activator, supporting organisations to embrace technology differently, or creating spaces where businesses and communities can connect, we want our work to make a difference beyond the project itself.

Through AI Activator, we've already helped students build confidence, develop practical AI and digital skills, and explore new career possibilities through real challenges set by organisations. Our work with Liverpool John Moores University has shown what happens when we give people the space, tools and confidence to explore something new.

And through our community events and partnerships, we're creating more opportunities for people and businesses to come together, share knowledge and do good things.

It's not just about what we deliver. It's about what happens because we delivered it.

And perhaps that's why these nominations feel so special.

Other people are beginning to see the positive wake we're leaving behind, the communities we're helping to build and the currents we're starting to turn.

It's something we've already reflected on in our story about Liverpool City Region showing what together looks like. When good people back good people, the impact reaches far beyond any individual business.

Whatever happens, we're already winning.

Of course, we'd love to bring home a trophy or two. We're not going to pretend otherwise.

But whether we come home with five awards, one award or just some brilliant memories, we're already incredibly proud of what we're building and, more importantly, how we're building it.

Because none of this happens alone.

A massive thank you to everyone who has helped, backed us, supported an idea, opened a door, scoped a project, delivered something brilliant, challenged our thinking, trusted us with an opportunity or simply believed in what we're trying to do.

To our crew, collaborators, clients, partners, friends and the communities around us, you're all part of this voyage.

And these nominations belong to you too.

We're building a different kind of business, one that values the impact we create as much as the work we deliver.

We're still learning, still exploring and still discovering where this adventure can take us.

Whatever happens on Thursday, we'll keep making waves.

And there's still plenty of good ship* to do.