For all we know, Pam Chalk, a 58-year-old from Wetherby, West Yorkshire, and Dame Helen Mirren have countless things in common. A quick glance at their respective mantelpieces, however, will reveal at least one: last year, both women received awards relating to their jobs. A Best Actress Bafta and Prison Officer of the Year may seem poles apart – 3.9 million people didn’t tune in to see Pam scoop her prize at a dinner in Leeds, for instance – yet the pair are among thousands of Britons who can label themselves “award winners”.

We have a growing appetite for gongs. There are currently well over 500 business and vocational awards nationwide, many with multiple categories. All in, this represents an 800 per cent growth over the past decade, estimates Chris Robinson, whose company, Boost Marketing, acts as consultant to businesses and individuals wanting to enter major industry awards. Trade magazines’ loss of advertising revenue to online marketing can account for some of this boom (award entry fees being a useful money-spinner). Plus, for whatever reason (a proliferation of reality TV programmes? Competitive employment markets?), Britons seem increasingly at ease with wanting to win things.

“People used to be content with a bit of recognition,” says Jenny Hillam of Awardco Group, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of bespoke awards and trophies. “Now they want to be seen as ‘the best’.”

There are two traditional awards “seasons” each year, she explains, the first running from January to June, the second from September to December. But, today, awards presentations are increasingly seeping into the summer, as demand for ceremony venues starts to outstrip supply. “We joke that there will probably be a prize for sneezing soon. Even though some of the awards out there may seem meaningless to most people, they mean the world to the winners.”

Adam Gilbert, 36, British Sandwich Association Sandwich Designer of the Year 2007

“The British sandwich industry is worth £3 billion a year. SoHo Sandwich Company, of which I’m MD, probably accounts for about £1 million of that, so we’re a very small fish in a very big sea.

“International Sandwich & Snack News magazine, which is our bible, had an entry form for the competition. We entered a tomato salsa, Spanish chorizo, roasted sweet potato and baby spinach on ciabatta. There’s so much more you can put into a sandwich than cheese, ham or egg mayonnaise – it’s about being inventive.

“The finals were at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. I turned up late and there were all these guys from the big-boy companies, with their logoed hats and chef jackets. They had fancy plates and fancy garnishes, and I thought, ‘I have no effing chance here.’ I’d forgotten to bring a plate, fancy or otherwise, so I had to borrow one. But when the judges announced the winners of the different categories, I’d won the national Hot and Spicy Sandwich of the Year. I had to come back in the evening for the black-tie do, where they announced I was the overall winner. I was really chuffed.

“Being Sandwich Designer of the Year does sound a bit funny. What’s so great about a sandwich? But nobody else used chorizo… they all just thought ‘ham and cheese’.”

William Wainman, 39, holder of the Natural Death Centre Award for Best Green Coffin Manufacturer in the UK

“I’m sure some people think the award is something we’ve just made up, but the Natural Death Centre’s a valid organisation that does an enormous amount of very valuable work in terms of helping people come to terms with grief.

“I worked with Voluntary Service Overseas when I left university, teaching English in China. There was so much bamboo there that