business HUNTER awards

The Outstanding Employee Award recognises an inspirational employee who has demonstrated a passion for their role and a commitment to their workplace and the community.

Entry criteria

Employers are required to highlight their employees’ commitment over the past 12 months to their workplace, the community, and to being an outstanding employee. To be eligible to enter this category, the employee must have been employed by their current employer for a minimum of 18 months at the time of entry.

Additional T&Cs

In addition to the general T&Cs, the following apply to this category:

• Should the entrant leave the organisation before the Regional or State Gala event, they will not be eligible to receive an award.

The Outstanding Young Business Leader Award recognises an inspirational business leader, aged 35 or under at the time of entry, who has demonstrated a commitment to their workplace, industry, and the community through leadership.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their ability to lead and inspire people, showcasing exceptional leadership skills and strategic decision-making, while demonstrating how they have effectively utilised resources to achieve strong organisational outcomes, drive innovation, and deliver measurable success over the past 18 months.

Entrants must also demonstrate financial responsibility and success, outlining how their leadership has contributed to the organisation’s financial stability, performance, or growth. This may include evidence of responsible financial management, improved financial outcomes, or initiatives that have strengthened the organisation’s overall financial position.

To be eligible for this category, the individual must have held a senior management or executive-level position within their organisation for a minimum of 18 months at the time of entry.

The Outstanding Business Leader Award recognises an inspirational business leader, aged 36 years or over at the time of entry, who has demonstrated a commitment to their workplace, industry, and the community through leadership, while also providing mentorship to others.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their ability to lead and inspire people, showcasing exceptional leadership skills and strategic decision-making, while demonstrating how they have effectively utilised resources to achieve strong organisational outcomes, drive innovation, and deliver measurable success over the past 18 months.

Entrants must also demonstrate financial responsibility and success, outlining how their leadership has contributed to the organisation’s financial stability, performance, or growth. This may include evidence of responsible financial management, improved financial outcomes, or initiatives that have strengthened the organisation’s overall financial position.

To be eligible for this category, the individual must have held a senior management or executive-level position within their organisation for a minimum of 18 months at the time of entry.

The Outstanding Business Leader Award recognises an inspirational business leader, aged 36 years or over at the time of entry, who has demonstrated a commitment to their workplace, industry, and the community through leadership, while providing mentorship to others.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their ability to lead and inspire people, showcasing exceptional leadership skills and strategic decision-making, while demonstrating how they have effectively utilised resources to achieve strong organisational outcomes, drive innovation, and deliver measurable success over the past 18 months.

Entrants must also demonstrate financial responsibility and success, outlining how their leadership has contributed to the organisation’s financial stability, performance, or growth. This may include evidence of responsible financial management, improved financial outcomes, or initiatives that have strengthened the organisation’s overall financial position.

To be eligible for this category, the individual must have held a senior management or executive-level position within their organisation for a minimum of 18 months at the time of entry.

This award celebrates the NSW businesses taking Australian excellence to the world whether through exporting, technology, partnerships, international expansion, global trade, or digital service delivery. It recognises the businesses shaping Australia's global reputation and creating opportunities for growth, innovation, and influence overseas.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate achievements over the past 12 months in at least one of the following areas:

• Exporting products or services
• International market expansion or market entry
• Cross-border digital trade
• International partnerships or alliances
• Licensing, franchising, or distribution overseas
• International brand or reputation building

The Employer of Choice Award – Under 20 Employees recognises a business that has implemented strategies and initiatives to create a stimulating and supportive workplace environment.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements over the past 12 months across the key areas of employee recruitment, engagement, and retention. Category criteria are based on initiatives that have had a positive impact on both employees and the business.

The Employer of Choice Award – Over 20 Employees recognises a business that has implemented strategies and initiatives to create a stimulating and supportive workplace environment.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements over the past 12 months across the key areas of employee recruitment, engagement and retention.  Category criteria are based on initiatives that have had a positive impact on both employees and the business.

The Excellence in Innovation Award recognises a business that has implemented innovative solutions for new and existing needs through the introduction or improvement of a product, technology, or application that impacts the wider community.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements over the past 12 months at the time of entry across the key area of innovation.

The Excellence in Sustainability Award recognises a business that has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable business practices and is working to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements in environmental sustainability over the past 12 months at time of entry. The category criteria are based on initiatives and projects within the business that are not related to its core offering.

The Outstanding Community Organisation Award recognises an organisation that works to improve the social, cultural, or environmental wellbeing of the community.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their commitment over the past 12 months to being an outstanding community organisation. This category is open to social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations that have been trading for a period of over 24 months at the time of entry.

The Outstanding New Business Award recognises a start-up that has effectively driven growth and is able to demonstrate potential to achieve future success.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their commitment to being an outstanding start-up over the past 12 months. This category is open to businesses that have been trading for less than 24 months at the time of entry.

The Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award recognises businesses that champion inclusivity for diverse communities, such as older people, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and people with disability. An inclusive business facilitates the needs of all its employees and customers.

Entry Criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their commitment over the past 12 months to address the needs of a diverse community. This category is open to businesses that have been trading continuously for two or more years.

The Excellence in Micro Business Award recognises a business that has effectively driven growth and can demonstrate the specific strategies implemented to achieve business success and/or resilience.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements in business excellence over the past 12 months at the time of entry. This category is open to businesses with fewer than five employees at the time of entry, that have been trading for more than 24 months.

The Excellence in Small Business Award recognises a business that has effectively driven growth and can demonstrate the strategies implemented to achieve business success and/or resilience.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements in business excellence over the past 12 months. This category is open to businesses with six to 20 employees at the time of entry, who have been trading for more than 24 months at the time of entry.

The Excellence in Medium Business Award recognises a business that has effectively driven growth and can demonstrate the specific strategies implemented to achieve business success and/or resilience.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements in business excellence over the past 12 months. This category is open to businesses with 21 or more employees at the time of entry, who have been trading for more than 24 months at the time of entry.

The Excellence in Large Business Award recognises a business that has effectively driven growth and can demonstrate the specific strategies implemented to achieve business success and/or resilience.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate their achievements in business excellence over the past 12 months. This category is open to businesses with 100 or more employees at the time of entry, who have been trading for more than 24 months at the time of entry.

The Outstanding Local Chamber Award recognises a chamber that has made a meaningful and measurable impact on its local business community over the past 12 months. This category celebrates chambers that champion local economic growth, strengthen business capability, foster collaboration, and deliver initiatives that create positive economic, environmental, or social outcomes.

Entrants must demonstrate how their chamber has identified community or business needs, delivered purposeful projects or advocacy, and contributed to a stronger, more connected, and more resilient local business ecosystem. Whether through events, programs, advocacy, partnerships, or community engagement.

  Examples of Eligible Chamber Activities but not limited to:

• Business networking or training workshops
• Mentoring or training programs
• Local advocacy wins or policy influence
• Events that supported local operators or industries
• Community business collaboration initiatives
• Campaigns that lifted local business visibility
• Initiatives improving business resilience after natural disasters
• Projects that strengthened business confidence or resilience

Entry criteria   

To be eligible for this category, local chambers must be a part of the Business NSW Chamber Local Chamber Alliance program.

The Outstanding Visitor Experience award recognises a business that understands the importance of visitor engagement for a region’s economy* and reputation. The business needs to articulate how they promote the region while as well an offering an exceptional visitor experience. 

Entry criteria 

Entrants must demonstrate how their business showcases the region/community and how their offering is unique within their industry.

The Contribution to the Region award recognises an organisation that has made a significant contribution to the ongoing prosperity and growth of the Hunter Region outside its core business activity. Entrants will be asked to provide evidence of how this contribution has benefited people and/or organisations outside the core business activities of their client/customer base.

The Excellence in Workplace Health, Safety & Wellbeing Award recognises a business that demonstrates an outstanding and holistic commitment to protecting and enhancing the safety, health and wellbeing of its people. This award celebrates organisations that create physically and psychologically safe workplaces, reduce incidents and risks, support mental health, promote respectful behaviour, and embed a strong culture of proactive safety leadership.

This award acknowledges businesses that go beyond compliance, those that integrate modern best practice across physical safety, mental health, wellbeing, and respectful workplace conduct to ensure every employee feels safe, supported, valued and able to thrive.

Entry criteria

Entrants must demonstrate:

• A clear and effective workplace health, safety and wellbeing strategy, with policies, training, reporting mechanisms, and demonstrated actions that foster a safe workplace culture.
• Innovation or best practice in safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, leadership capability, technology, training or cultural initiatives that enhance physical and psychological safety.
• Evidence of employee engagement in safety and wellbeing programs, such as participation in safety improvement activities, mental health initiatives, and respectful-workplace training.
• Measurable improvements in workplace outcomes, such as reductions in physical incidents, injuries, near-misses, hazards, psychological injuries, workers compensation claims or absenteeism.

Business of the Year is open to all winners of the following categories: 

• Excellence in International Business 
• Employer of Choice - 20 Employees and Under
• Employer of Choice - 21 Employees and Over
• Excellence in Innovation 
• Outstanding Sustainability
• Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
• Excellence in Micro Business  
• Excellence in Small Business  
• Excellence in Medium Business
• Excellence in Large Business 

This award recognises a business that demonstrates achievements and excellence over and above all other entrants.  This award will be judged by a panel of three judges, each of whom has not judged any other award entries

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