Award Categories

By participating in the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards, you are providing your organisation and your employees with a unique opportunity to benchmark your performance against other like businesses. Should you be a winner, then the Awards will provide you with thousands of dollars worth of free advertising and editorial via our Media announcements through our marketing channels, the Gold Coast Bulletin, Triple M 92.5, Hit 90.9 and Nine NBN Television. You will be provided the recognition you so appropriately deserve as well as the opportunity to network with other successful business owners and operators.

So don't delay - enter today!!

Sponsored by Choice Homes and MPM Property

The Emerging Business Award recognises Gold Coast businesses that have been operating between 2 and 5 years and are high growth potential with the capacity to achieve and manage expansion. Applicants for the Emerging Business category should highlight their innovative, unique and strong business practices and how these enhance the businesses continued growth.

The Gold Coast is Australia's micro-business capital. There are more than 46,000 micro businesses (fewer than 5 employees) based on the Gold Coast. The Micro Business category aims to recognise our incredible range of micro businesses that have been operating successfully on the Coast for years.

Sponsored by Optus Business Centre Gold Coast

The Family Business Award recognises long standing family owned and operated businesses that have seen generations of family continue and grow their business legacy. Applicants should demonstrate the integration of the family into the business, and its effect on business practices, culture and division of responsibility. Succession planning, if relevant, should be identified in a hierarchical diagram. To be eligible, the business must be operated by more than one generation.

Sponsored by QSuper

The Health and Wellbeing Award recognises and celebrates businesses meeting the increasing demand for products and services within various sectors contributing toward the health and medical industries.  Applicants should highlight the business leading in health and wellbeing excellence, as well as newly introduced technologies that improve their product and service. Applicants may supply products or services and may operate within various sectors contributing towards the health and wellbeing industries.

Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Gold Coast

The Professions and Services Award recognises and celebrates businesses meeting the increasing demand for such products and services.  Applicants should demonstrate their passion for exceeding customer expectations and service excellence within the business and overall team. This category recognises professions (eg medical, legal etc) through to service sector industries.

Sponsored by Westpac Banking Corporation

The Retail, Wholesale and Distribution Award acknowledges businesses that remain abreast with this evolving industry sector as customer demands and expectations are changing the game. Applicants should highlight that they truly understand their customer and demonstrate how they provide seamless customer experiences, across all channels. To be eligible, applicants must be in either the retail or wholesale or distribution sectors. Franchisors as well as Franchisees operating in any one of these sectors are eligible.

Sponsored by Neumann Steel, Neumann Contractors, Nucrush Group and Neumann Developments

The Manufacturing Award honours manufacturing businesses on the Gold Coast who lead and shape the future in this industry sector.  Applicants should demonstrate achievements across a wide variety of areas including the readiness of new technologies in sustainability, operational excellence, innovation and supply chain management.

Sponsored by Harvey Norman Commercial Qld

The Construction and Trades Award celebrates and acknowledges the construction industry that underpins the City's economic base. Applicants should highlight the quality of the business' attention to detail in finishing and overall craftsmanship.  The business should demonstrate new and improved innovative techniques and solutions in this industry sector. Trade applicants should demonstrate the technical ability of the trade contractor and challenges overcome in construction.To be eligible applicants must be either in the construction or trades sector, including any applicant that subcontracts to the construction sector, ie electrical, plumbing. etc.

Sponsored by Griffith University

The IT and Digital Business Award is the recognition of Gold Coast businesses demonstrating outstanding knowledge management based, information technology products and services. Applicants should highlight their smart technology product or service and how it benefits everyday life and impacts the businesses bottom line. Today we live in the Information Age. Knowledge management underpins almost all services today, and the effective management of knowledge distinguishes companies in IT, supply chain management and logistics. Excellent information technology, knowledge management and digital services based businesses may exemplify this in their own business, or enable and enhance the practices of other businesses through their IT, logistics or supply chain solutions.

Sponsored by City of Gold Coast

The Mayor's Innovation GC Award accolades businesses that have applied innovation through new knowledge, technologies, methodologies or processes to improve the effectiveness or quality of outcomes for their clients, community and/or the public sector.  Applicants should validate their innovation through their use of new technologies, data analytics, modelling or visualisation. Applicants need to demonstrate significant innovation in either management and/or business practices or in their products or services. Applicants need to be able to show how this innovation has given them a "competitive edge" in the market place.

Sponsored by Study Gold Coast

The Student Engagement Award recognises and celebrates businesses who are engaged with the Gold Coast education and training sector. Engagement between industry and the education and training sector is critical to ensuring the city is producing work-ready graduates who can become the next generation of leaders driving the Gold Coast economy. This also supports the city to attract quality students and talent to the Gold Coast which drives innovation and supports the growth of the Gold Coast business community. 

Sponsored by Destination Gold Coast

The Tourism, Hospitality and Events Award celebrates excellence in destination and stewardship management. As Australia's premier tourism and hospitality destination, the applicant should highlight the business offerings and experiences and how these are promoted to markets locally, nationally and internationally. In addition, the applicant must demonstrate how it has worked exceptionally in any aspect of tourism including technology, sustainability, socially and culturally.To be eligible for this diverse category applicants must be in the tourism, hospitality, recreation and leisure industries. Businesses involved with events and event management are also eligible to apply.

Sponsored by Southern Cross Austereo

The Encouragement Award is presented to one company on the night of the Gala Awards Dinner from the 2021 finalists which the judges believe is a potential future business of the year.