The inaugural Singapore Heartland Enterprise Star Award which recognises exemplary businesses in the heartlands was launched Wednesday morning.

The first award of its kind here, it is co-organised by the Federation of Merchants' Associations, Singapore (FMAS) and Lianhe Wanbao.

Interested applicants have to be "homegrown Singapore brands" and stand to win in six categories: best customer service, best marketer, best visual merchandising, most innovative, most franchisable, and heartland heritage enterprise.

Application is free, there is no cash award or prize money but the award serves as recognition for the businesses. They will also be able to sign up for advertising and marketing packages. The goal, said FMAS president Mr Yeo Hiang Meng, is to "help neighbourhood enterprises heighten their market competitiveness and business exposure to achieve high performance".