The Brighton Girl Awards – winners named after three month campaign

By Pippa Moyle.

On Thursday, March 27, 150 people gathered at PLATF9RM Hove to celebrate 20 award winners and mark the finale of a very exciting three month campaign.

The Brighton Girl Awards saw thousands of local residents spotlight the businesses and pioneers that make Brighton and Hove a great place to belong.

For those new to Brighton Girl and the wider City Girl Network, it was created by me, Pippa Moyle, out of a personal desire to find friends, professional connections and recommendations on making the most of living in Brighton. Since launching in 2016, Brighton Girl has grown into a thriving community empowering thousands of women through events, recommendations and business opportunities. It also sparked the City Girl Network, now in 25 locations across the UK.

The Brighton Girl Awards symbolises everything our community stands for: collaboration, inspiration and championing local voices. Categories spanned from individual pioneers (‘Brighton Girl’, ‘Creative’ and ‘Wellbeing Champion’), to hospitality and leisure (‘Restaurant’, ‘Venue’ and ‘Retailer’), to services (‘Property’, ‘Professional Service’ and ‘Wedding Service’); reflecting the vibrant, diverse business and cultural scene that defines the city.

Over three months, hundreds of candidates were put through three stages: nominations, voting and judging. For the nominations stage, we asked people to share their top contenders across 20 diverse categories, emphasising that they could put forward more than one. The 10 most nominated for each category then advanced to the public voting round. Then the top five finalists, announced on International Women’s Day, moved to the judging round, where industry experts carefully deliberated to select the final winners.

Our awards ceremony was an incredible evening of vibrancy and celebration, with guest speakers like Sussex Business Times’ very own Sam Thomas and Apprentice 2025 Candidate Melica Moshiri, and delicious welcome drinks by Bolney Estate, Renais and CANs. But it was very much the tip of the iceberg of an incredibly transformative experience for everyone involved.

Candidates, judges, sponsors, and collaborators, have all highlighted that the true power of these awards was discovering businesses, communities and local talent. After years of living in parallel lines, these awards created a way for paths to cross and people to find new customers, clients and collaborators.

The future of the Brighton Girl Awards is very bright, with 2026 planning underway. But, for the next few pages, join me in celebrating the winners and thanking everyone who helped bring these awards to life.

Brighton, community and creativity: what winning Creative Agency of the Year means to me

By Flo Powell, Joint Managing Director, Midnight.

Midnight is a digital-first PR agency that’s proudly female-owned and has been based in Brighton for more than 30 years. We deliver award-winning campaigns for clients across the UK – from national brands to ambitious Sussex-based businesses.

We were honoured to win Creative Agency of the Year at the Brighton Girl Awards. We were nominated by Mo Kanjilal from Watch This Sp_ce (double winners on the night) and others in the community – which made the win even more special. It was such a joy to be recognised by people we admire and collaborate with.

Our category judge was the equally brilliant Sam Thomas – editor of Sussex Business Times and founder of Different Hats. Sam knows our work well, but we didn’t take that for granted. When we were asked to complete the judging form, we gave it the care and thought it deserved. We reflected on our creative approach, especially in the B2B space where we’re constantly challenged to find fresh, engaging ways to tell our clients’ stories and help them punch above their weight on a national basis.

Our whole team got behind the voting campaign – even my mum voted – and when we won, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I practically rugby-tackled Sam on my way to collect the award! I wish more of our team had been able to be there on the night, but those tickets were the hottest commodity in the city!

Brighton Girl has always held a special place in my heart. I moved to Brighton aged 13, after a tough start in life, and know how important community can be when you’re finding your feet. Knowing that Brighton Girl supports women in similar situations really hit home – and it’s why this award means so much to me, personally as well as professionally.

Community is everything to us at Midnight. We’re active members of Brighton Chamber and Gatwick Diamond Business. We work with FareShare Sussex & Surrey and offer pro bono support to Sussex Wildlife Trust, UNESCO Biosphere (The Living Coast) and Brighton Food Bank, and regularly donate time, money and energy to causes we believe in. We’re proud B Corp members and are passionate about giving back to the city that’s given us so much.

Winning this award isn’t just about us though. It’s about the amazing people and organisations we work with every day – and the vibrant, creative, slightly chaotic city we call home. Brighton, you’ve got our hearts. And Pippa… you’re gonna need a bigger boat!

Brighton Girl of the Year – ‘This award is not just for me’

By Kaia Allen-Bevan.

It is an honour to take home the title of, “Brighton Girl of The Year”, and I’m honestly shocked to have won out of 101 nominees. All of the women, from the top 10 to top five, and all of those who were nominated, are incredible, and I was budding to scream with joy for whoever won…It is one thing to know that you are putting the work behind the scenes to show up, support and leverage collective power within your community, yet it’s another thing to be recognised, celebrated and awarded, especially as a young person. It warmed my heart to have people come up to me in the street to stop me and say: “I voted for you!”

Across these six years of activism, from leading 10,000 through the streets of Brighton during BLM, to taking on TEDxBrighton as a speaker and a guest curator, to speaking our story in Forbes and BusinessToday, and now recognised as making a global impact, and founding a multi-award-winning CIC and consultancy (YouthTheGap), the little me, who wouldn’t say boo to a goose, growing up in Whitehawk, never would have imagined that years later that this would be our future.

Especially for women and girls in Brighton and Hove, who are minoritised because of their intersectional identities, I recognise that this award is not just for me – it’s representation to reimagine a future where all women and girls can be awarded for their successes, which is not reflective of our world currently. And, there are many women and girls across the world who I see as my Brighton Girl of The Year, but don’t have the opportunities like Brighton Girl Network are creating to be platformed and highlighted in their town…

However, this is what strives me to keep on going. As your Brighton Girl of 2025, I promise to keep on advocating for our town and beyond, to create safe and brave spaces to break down walls and unshackle the generational chains that can end with our unified power. Brighton Girl is a cycle-breaker, a change-maker, and I look forward to actualising the values of Brighton Girl into sustainable actions with the City Girl Network.

Jade Hylton has passed on the baton to me to run with, and it’s a privilege to join the legacy. And I only endeavour to make you all proud and create bigger waves of meaningful change to benefit all, in Brighton and beyond!

Inclusion takes the spotlight as Watch This Sp_ce wins twice at Brighton Girl Awards 2025

A driving force for inclusion transformation.

Inclusion took the spotlight at the Brighton Girl Awards 2025, with Watch This Sp_ce winning the Professional Service of the Year award —a win for every voice we aim to amplify. Sponsored by Number 24 Estate Agency, this category recognised amazing businesses and we were shocked to win in such a tough category. Judges included The Apprentice star Melica Moshiri, Number 24 Estate Agents, and Pippa Moyle, CEO of The City Girl Network. The judges praised the company for the standout contribution to inclusive business practices and creating a more equitable world.

Mo Kanjilal, Co-Creator of Watch This Sp_ce, spoke about the gratitude for the win, acknowledging the power of community support and team dedication. She stated: “This was a win for the whole team,” underlining the collective effort that led to their recognition.

Since the company was founded in 2020, Watch This Sp_ce has grown into a driving force for inclusive transformation. The newly released impact report reveals that in the past year alone, the team has trained over 2,000 people, worked with 34 organisations, and helped over 125 companies benchmark their inclusion progress using the Inclusion Journey Location Finder.

The company’s influence expanded globally in 2024 with the release of The Inclusion Journey, a book published by Kogan Page and co-authored by Mo Kanjilal and fellow Co-Creator Allegra Chapman. Through research, case studies, and interviews, the book offers a roadmap for creating inclusive workplaces. “We’ve literally written the book on inclusion strategy,” Chapman said. “We’ve changed perceptions and shifted narratives — and we’re just getting started.”

The celebrations continued as Kaia Allen-Bevan, Engagement Lead and Anti-Racism Lead at Watch This Sp_ce, was named Brighton Girl of the Year.

Mo Kanjilal was also involved as a judge for the Community of the Year award, sponsored by Harriets of Hove. After tough deliberations with five strong finalists, the award went to Co-Women.

This double triumph cements Watch This Sp_ce’s reputation as business leaders with community impact. The team’s continued commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity shines brightly, inspiring others to drive change.  As the Watch This Sp_ce journey continues, The Brighton Girl Awards 2025 stands as a powerful reminder of what’s possible when values drive business forward. This sets the stage for even greater impact in the future.