Welcome Message
Steve Loe
AWARDS FOUNDER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PRECEDENT PRODUCTIONS
It is a great honour to welcome you to the inaugural 2023 Australian Trades Small Business Champion Awards. It is time to elevate your business to national attention, and recognise the vital and impressive contribution you make to Australian communities.
Small businesses in the trade sector are leaving their mark across the country. Innovation and precision are at the heart of what you do, and we are proud to highlight your success. The creation of this program aims to provide opportunity for all individuals and businesses in Australian trades to be awarded the recognition they deserve. The program is open to all businesses involved across the trade industry.
Our vision is to celebrate and inspire the innovative, confident, balanced, and dynamic side of each business, leading towards excellence and success in their chosen trade.
We would like to express our gratitude to our partners and supporters. We trust that this year's awards program will continue to cement its presence as an important institution honouring Australian tradespeople in small business and their achievements for years to come. Thank you for your service to the small business sector, and Australian communities everywhere.
Best of luck throughout 2023 and for all your future endeavours!
Our Sponsors
(Select a partner below to view details)
Overview
About the Awards
Entries may only be completed online.
The Australian Trades Small Business Champion Awards is a prestigious and comprehensive program that supports and recognises small businesses operating in trades sectors across Australia.
Offering a unique opportunity to highlight Australia's most outstanding small businesses, the awards seek to recognise the hard work that trade business owners contribute to the local community in generating employment for millions of Australians, as well as their commitment to the Australian economy.
The awards are set to become the pinnacle of business success. They recognise the values associated with successful trades people who own and manage successful small businesses.
Background
The Australian Small Business Champion Awards originated in 1999 to recognise the achievements of outstanding small businesses from all states and territories across Australia.
Developed and managed by Precedent Productions, a small business in its own right, with 38 years' experience in managing successful awards programs, the Australian Small Business Champions Awards have grown into the flagship program recognising small business excellence throughout Australia.
In 2023, the inaugural Australian Trade Small Business Champion Awards will be launched to acknowledge the trades people who are contributing, influencing, and leading their sectors and trades. As we look to the future, we envision 2023 to be even stronger, more vibrant, and innovative as Australia celebrates the exceptional trades people who make it so.
| Important Dates | |
|---|---|
| Entries Open | 23-04-2023 |
| Entries Close | 27-07-2023 |
| Finalists announced on website | 16-08-2023 |
| Presentation Dinner ticket RSVP | 16-08-2023 |
| National Presentation Evening | 22-09-2023 |
| Winners announced on website | 25-09-2023 |
How it works
How it Works
Eligible small businesses owned by trades people from around Australia are required to complete and submit an Awards Entry, consisting of a series of questions which evaluate their standards of excellence and overall success.
Award Entries may only be completed online.
Entries must be completed in accordance with the terms and conditions and submitted by the closing date to be considered as an award entrant.
Following the close of entries, finalists will be selected based on the content provided in the awards criteria questions, and notified of their success via mail. All entrants do not automatically become finalists.
National finalists will compete with businesses in their category across Australia and the winners being named at the gala presentation evening.
Categories for individuals will be judged separately with the winner's selection based on the business criteria questions and the individual criteria questions.
Eligibility
The nominated business must be based in Australia and suit a category listed on the categories section of our website.
To be eligible to enter, the business must be a:
Trade Retail or Service Business with 40 employees or less*
Trade Manufacturing Business with 100 employees or less*
** Eligibility is based on the number of equivalent full-time positions within the business. (80 staff who work half a week each, is equal to 40 full-time positions).
Judging
Judging
The judges are representatives from a variety of industries who have relevant experience or an understanding of the operations of a small business.
Judges will shortlist the entrants into finalists. The number of finalists will depend on the quality and quantity of entrants for each category. Not all entrants will become finalists.
Judging is assessed on the responses to the Awards Criteria questions located within the online entry form and additional supporting documentation that may be attached as a PDF as part of your entry.
The outcome of each business' assessment will determine the Australian Trades Small Business Champion winners.
Businesses are judged only within one award category. If an entrant selects more than one category, judges have the right to determine the most applicable category without notification or consultation.
Judges reserve the right to transfer a business into another category if they believe an entrant would be more appropriately assessed in that category.
Apprentice Champion Judging
An apprentice who combines work and study to obtain a trade qualification and is currently in their apprenticeship.
Judges will shortlist the entrants into finalists. The number of finalists will depend on the quality and quantity of entrants for each category. Not all entrants will become finalists.
Champion Tradie
A tradie is a person who works within the trades industry and has impacted their employment in a positive way.
Judges will shortlist the entrants into finalists. The number of finalists will depend on the quality and quantity of entrants for each category. Not all entrants will become finalists.
Trades Entrepreneur Judging
Two Entrepreneur categories will be presented:
- Young Small Business Champion Trades Entrepreneur (Aged 30 years and under)
- Small Business Champion Trades (Aged over 30 years)
Judges will shortlist the entrants into finalists. The number of finalists will depend on the quality and quantity of entrants for each category. Not all entrants will become finalists.
Judges will be looking at each applicant's approach to the business, together with their individual achievements and attitudes in regard to managing challenges.
The outcome of each entrepreneur assessment will determine the national category winners.
Australian Small Business Champion Trade Leader
The Awards Criteria AND Champion Trade Leader Criteria must be completed for judges to be able to assess each application.
Judges will shortlist the entrants into finalists. The number of finalists will depend on the quality and quantity of entrants for each category. Not all entrants will become finalists.
The judges will be looking for forerunners with innovative thinking in business that have transformed or made significant developments in the trade sector.
It will honour inspiring innovators and visionaries and is open to trade business leaders who have achieved accomplishments of significance over the span of their careers.
Terms & Conditions
- To be eligible to enter the awards, your business must first comply with either of the following: Retail or Service business with 40 employees or less - Manufacturing business with 100 employees or less.
- Eligibility is based on the number of equivalent full-time positions within the business. (80 staff who work half a week each, is equal to 40 full time positions).
- Business may enter only one industry category.
- Businesses may enter both optional Apprentice and Tradie award categories.
- Businesses may enter only one optional Entrepreneur award category.
- Businesses may enter the optional Trade Leader award category.
- Businesses in the New Business category must be in operation for less than 2 years.
- If an entrant selects more than one category the judges reserve the right to determine the most applicable category without notification or consultation.
- Entries may be transferred to another category if the judges believe an entrant would be more appropriately assessed in that category.
- Judges have the right to either create additional categories or delete categories, depending on entries received.
- An independent judging panel from a variety of industries will judge all entries.
- Judges have the right to either accept or decline entries as finalists and this will be determined by an initial grading of entries based on the responses to the criteria questions.
- All Judges' score sheets and notes will be destroyed on the determination of finalists and winners. Judges' comments are confidential and will not be disclosed.
- The decision of the judging panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Businesses must operate in Australia and hold a current ABN number.
- Entries are catalogued and are treated in confidence.
- Information provided by the business may be used for promotional purposes. Information that is confidential must be clearly marked.
- In the situation of a change in business name, every effort will be made to accommodate, however, there will be no guarantees due to the program's requirements.
- Precedent Productions and Award Partners have access to the entire finalist database and may use this at their discretion.
- Entries must be provided via the online entry form.
- Entries will not be accepted via email or mail.
- Once entries have been received, information cannot be changed or added.
- Precedent Productions and the partners of the awards accept no liability regarding any loss of patent rights or commercial returns arising from participating in the Australian Small Business Trades Champion Awards.
- The Young Entrepreneur must be 30 years of age and under to be eligible.
- Entry is free.
- Precedent Productions takes no responsibility for the publishing of information in media outlets and websites.
Categories
Listed below are the categories for the Australian Trades Small Business Champion Awards.
| Air Conditioning |
| Arborist |
| Architect |
| Automotive Mechanical |
| Automotive Services |
| Automotive Smash Repairs |
| Bathroom and Kitchen Renovation |
| Brick Layer |
| Builders |
| Carpentry |
| Carpet and Flooring Layer |
| Commercial Cleaning |
| Concreter |
| Data Technician |
| Electrical |
| Engineering |
| Fencing |
| Fitter and Turner |
| Gardener |
| Glazier |
| Home and Garden Improvement |
| Landscaper |
| Lighting Consultant |
| Locksmith |
| Manufacturing |
| Mechanical Repairs |
| Metal Fabrication |
| New Business |
| Pest Control |
| Painter |
| Plasterer |
| Plumber |
| Printer |
| Removalist |
| Roofer |
| Signwriter |
| Surveyor |
| Solar |
| Sole Operator |
| Stone Mason |
| Tiler |
| Trade Retail |
| Trade Services |
| Wholesaler |
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES (OPTIONAL)
| Apprentice Champion |
| Champion Tradie |
| Young Small Business Champion Trades Entrepreneur |
| Small Business Champion Trades Entrepreneur |
| Australian Small Business Champion Trade Leader |
