Business Awards

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The 2023 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards

The 2023 Business Excellence Awards are created to celebrate the efforts and achievements of our local business sector and to recognise their contribution to the community and the economy in Hobsons Bay. 

Hobsons Bay City Council invites businesses to nominate for the 2023 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards.  The awards celebrate the efforts of our local businesses, both large and small, and recognise their achievements and contributions to the community and economy in Hobsons Bay.

Nominations Opened - Monday 3 July, 9am

Nominations Closed - Sunday 27 August, 11pm

Finalists Announced - Week commencing Monday 4 September

Judging - September

Business Excellence Awards Gala - Wednesday 25 October, 7pm 

We would like to acknowledge our silver sponsor for the 2023 Business Excellence Awards gala evening, Aligned Corporate Residences Williamstown.

Eligibility

To be eligible to enter the 2023 Hobson Bay Business Excellence Awards businesses must be registered within Hobsons Bay with a valid ABN and hold all appropriate permits and licenses relevant to their industry. Not for profit businesses and social enterprises are welcome to apply to any of the award categories.

Find out all relevant applicant information here.(PDF, 755KB)

Award categories

For more information on the award categories please read the Category Description and Application Tips.(PDF, 6MB)

Business can nominate themselves for any of the award categories.

  • Creating social change and diversity
  • Excellence in customer experience
  • Excellence in sustainability and circular economy
  • Excellence in innovation
  • New / start-up business 
  • Home based business
  • Mayoral award - service to the community

Members of the community can also nominate businesses for the following categories:

  • Excellence in customer experience
  • Mayoral award - service to the community



Judging

All nominations will be assessed, and finalists determined by an internal panel.  

Finalists are assessed by external judges who are experts in the category field. Judging to determine winners will include an in-person business visit and interview.

The mayoral award will be assessed, and finalists determined by an internal panel. These finalists will then be judged and winner determined by the mayor.


Prizes

The winners from each category will receive:

  • A Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Award winner trophy
  • A voucher of $800 for a professional service of choice provided by a Hobsons Bay Business
  • A business visit and photo opportunity with the Mayor with images and story to be featured in the Star Weekly
  • Promotion as an award winner through Hobsons Bay City Council social media, and Hobsons Bay Business newsletter and social media


Sponsorship

Hobsons Bay City Council is currently seeking Expressions of Interest for sponsorship of the 2023 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards.

Since 2009, the Business Excellence Awards have recognised local businesses that contributed to making Hobsons Bay a great place to do business. From home-based businesses and start-ups, to manufacturers and logistics companies, the business excellence awards bring together people from across the business community, and celebrate their successes and achievements.

Business Excellence Awards sponsors can choose from two sponsorship packages, each featuring a range of opportunities to promote your business and engage with the local business community.

 Sponsorship packages:

  • Gold Sponsor - $5,000 ex GST
  • Silver Sponsor - $2,500 ex GST

An alternative to the sponsorship packages is In-Kind sponsorship. This option is to provide goods and/or services instead of cash.

To read more about sponsorship options please read the Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards Sponsorship Guide(PDF, 757KB) .

Please note – only a limited number of sponsorship opportunities are available.

All expressions of interest will be assessed to ensure they align with the objectives of the 2023 Business Excellence Awards.

Submit your Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards Sponsorship EOI here

Business Excellence Awards Gala

Winners will be announced Wednesday 25 October, starting at 7pm. The evening will be celebrated in person with at the Business Excellence Awards Gala situated at the Civic Centre in Altona. 

Tickets will be available in coming months, stay tuned for more details!

How to nominate

How to enter 

Entry is via the Smartygrants application, with the forms live from Monday 3 July. You will need to create an account on Smartygrants (if you dont have one already). 

Nominate your business here!

Before submitting your application please read the Category Description and Application Tips(PDF, 6MB) to determine the most suitable categories for your business.

Members of the public can also nominate a business for the below awards:

  • Excellence in Customer Experience
  • Mayoral award - Service to the community

Nominate your favourite local business here!

If a business has been nominated by a community member, Council will contact the business to inform them of their nomination and guide them through the application process.

To find out more and to read the Terms and Conditions please refer to the Applicant Information(PDF, 755KB) document.

Upon receipt of your application, you will receive a confirmation email from our team to verify your submission. If you have any questions or need assistance please call us directly on 1300 179 944 or email business@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au. 


Do you want to see what previous Business Excellence Awards winners have to say?

Check out what previous winners have to say about the Hobsons Bay Business Excellence awards process and benefits of entering!

 

Andre Conate from Self Defence Hub speaks about how the Hobsons Bay Business Awards have helped their business to be recognised within the community. 

  

Winner of the Excellence in Sustainability award Ilch Mickovski, from Eco Laundry Room, speaks about how the Hobsons Bay Business Awards offered recognition and encouraged him to continue to look for opportunities for growth.

  

Pelvic Health Melbourne won the Excellence in Customer Experience award in 2021.  Owner Alexandra Lopes speaks about the opportunity to receive feedback from the judges, reflect on what they have achieved and look at what they can improve on. 

  

Pivoting during COVID-19 was a category unique to our 2021 awards.  Glenn Jones from Seaworks speaks about the opportunities that arose when forced to look at their business differently. 

  

Faye Tan from Mama Movement won the New Start Up Business award and speaks about how winning gave her the confidence to apply for larger national awards. 

Do you need help or have any questions?

The Economic Development team are here to help!

If you have any questions or need assistance please call us directly on 1300 179 944 or email business@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au.


 

If you have any questions in relation to the 2023 Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards please do not hesitate to call Council’s Economic Development unit on 1300 179 944 or email business@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

The Awards are held every second year and are a highlight of the Hobsons Bay business calendar. To keep up to date with the latest news about the Hobsons Bay Business Excellence Awards, subscribe to the monthly Hobsons Bay Business e-Works newsletter