Recognising the achievements of our local business community
Hawkesbury Business Awards 2026
A Red Carpet Celebration of Local Excellence
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we honour the Hawkesbury region’s most inspiring and high-achieving individuals and businesses across a wide range of industries. This prestigious event brings the entire community together to celebrate innovation, dedication, and success.
📅 Date: Friday, TBA
📍 Venue: TBA
🕡 Doors Open: 6:30 PM (Champagne on arrival)
🍽️ Event Begins: 7:00 PM – Includes a 3-course meal featuring local produce and a premium beverage package
🎤 Hosted by: Local MC
🎶 Live Music: Featuring local entertainment
💃 Dance floor celebration to close the night
Award Categories
We celebrate excellence across diverse sectors:
- Agriculture & Animals
- Beauty & Hair
- Builders, Carpenters & Bricklayers
- Business Services
- Catering, Cafes & Restaurants
- Education, Training & Childhood Centres
- Electrical & Air Conditioning
- Electronics, IT & Media
- Entertainment & The Arts
- Finance & Banking
- Fitness & Sport
- Food & Groceries Retail
- General Retail
- Government & Not-for-Profit
- Health & Disability
- Manufacture & Wholesale
- Other Trades & Construction
- Plumbers, Drainers & Gas Fitters
- Professional & Scientific
- Real Estate
- Tourism, Events & Accommodation
- Vehicles, Transport & Warehousing
Special Awards:
- Young Business Person of the Year (28 years or younger)
- Business Person of the Year
- Business of the Year
- Community Outreach Project or Contribution of the Year
Judging Criteria
Finalists are selected based on the top 8 nominations per category. Organisers may reassign nominations to more suitable categories. Each organisation may only be nominated in one category, except for the person, project, and business of the year awards.
Judging will take into consideration the following for each organisation or individual based on anonymous customer service trials, publicly available information and information provided by the business:
- Community Commitment – Charity work, fundraising, and support initiatives
- Networking & Collaboration – Participation in industry and networking groups along with collaboration with other local businesses
- Marketing Visibility – Social media presence, website quality, and promotional efforts
- Customer Service – In-person, phone, and email interactions; staff and premises presentation, product knowledge and communication skills
- Legal Compliance – ABN, trading name registration and licensing as applicable
- Achievements & Future Plans – Industry recognition, goal achievement and business plans
Tickets
Formal dress code applies. Under-18 entrepreneurs and family business members are welcome.
Ticket Options:
- Individual Tickets
- Half Table (5 seats) – Discount available
- Full Table (10 seats) – Discount available
Sponsorship Opportunities
Support the Hawkesbury Business Awards and help us keep ticket prices accessible. Sponsorship helps cover event costs and enables us to offer charity tables—free tickets for local charity finalists.
Interested in sponsoring? Download the below pack to learn more about available packages and benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register to nominate a business?
No, you do not have to register anywhere to submit a nomination.
How do I nominate?
Nominations will open in around February year, at that time, please complete our nomination form to submit a nomination, including the nominee’s contact information and why you think they deserve to be nominated. When submitting a nomination, you can also choose to put the nominee forward for Young Business Person of the Year, Business Person of the Year, Business of the Year and Community Outreach Project or Contribution of the Year in addition to their industry category.
Who can make a nomination?
Anyone can make a nomination using the nomination form when nominations open.
Who can be nominated?
Any business or business person who is based in or significantly services the Hawkesbury can be nominated. This means that they have a storefront or base of operations in the Hawkesbury, or a significant portion of their clientele is in the Hawkesbury.
Can I nominate myself?
Yes, you can nominate your own business. To learn more about how finalists and winners are selected, see Hawkesbury Business Awards Judging.
Can I nominate more than one business or person?
You can, however, if you are making more than one nomination in the same category, please be aware that the 8 most nominated will be finalists and your nominations may make a difference to the outcome.
How do I get more nominations?
Print our QR Code poster from this page and hang it in your shopfront, hare our posts on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn (@hawkesburybusinessevents), tell your friends and family, and encourage your clients and customers to nominate you. Keep in mind that each person may only nominate a particular business/person once.
Which category should I choose for my nomination?
Pick whichever category you feel fits your nominee best, the nominated business must be registered with an ABN to be eligible. If your nomination doesn’t easily fit into a single category, use this table as reference and select the closest fit, and the organisers will ensure your nomination ends up in the right place:
| Business | Category |
| Accountant | Finance and Banking |
| Arborist | Other Trades and Construction |
| Artist (both visual and performance) | Entertainment and the Arts |
| Bookkeeper | Finance and Banking |
| Business Coach | Business Services |
| Cleaner | Business Services for primarily commercial providers and real estate for private services and those that work for real estate managers |
| Clubs including RSL or interest groups (must be a registered NFP or association) | Government and Not-for-Profit |
| Consultant | Professional and Scientific |
| Clairvoyant | Business Services |
| Clothing Manufacture | Manufacture and Wholesale |
| Dance Troupe | Entertainment and the Arts |
| Distillery | Manufacture and Wholesale |
| Dog Groomer | Agriculture and Animals |
| Driving School | Vehicle, Transport and Warehousing |
| Embroidery and Screen Printing | Business Services |
| Florist | General Retail for shop fronts and Tourism and Events for events specialists |
| Forklift Repair | Vehicle, Transport and Warehousing |
| Funeral Parlour | Business Services |
| Handmade Candles | General Retail |
| Health Food Stores | Food and Groceries Retail |
| Hotel or Pub | Catering, Cafes and Restaurants |
| Ironing Services | Business Services |
| Landscaper | Other Trades and Construction |
| Massage Therapy | Health and Disability |
| Mining | Other Trades and Construction |
| Musician (hobby performers are not eligible) | Entertainment and the Arts |
| Networking Group | Business Services for private groups and Government and Not-for-Profit for registered associations or NFP companies |
| Online Retails (must be Hawkesbury based HQ) | General Retail |
| Orchard | Agriculture and Animals for primarily growing based operations, Food and Groceries Retail for larger roadside retail including pick your own |
| Pilates | Fitness and Sport |
| Property Management | Real Estate |
| Recycling Centre | Manufacture and Wholesale |
| Removalist | Vehicles, Transport and Warehousing |
| Sign Writer | Other Trades and Construction |
| Tattoo Parlour | Hair and Beauty |
| Window Tinting (cars) | Vehicle, Transport and Warehousing |
