Making an Entrepreneurial Impact at Sunshine Coast Business Awards
The Finalists are in for the Sunshine Coast Business Awards 2023! Georgia Beard highlights the local businesses recognising their phenomenal achievements in the past year!
Running a business is a tireless immersion.
Owners and employees keep their heads down, tenaciously crafting their offerings into instruments of influence, inspiration and experience.
Fulfilling the daily demands of their enterprise, they forget to look up and realise the great depths and far reaches of their impact.
This year, we have witnessed extraordinary growth in our local businesses – their well-deserved milestones, their highly anticipated expansions and their richer connections with community.
When the Sunshine Coast Business Awards 2023 return in November, we get to give back all the love they have offered us!
The Awards Committee has invited the region’s vast network of small and large businesses to celebrate their outstanding efforts as members of Australia’s entrepreneurial capital.
After receiving 250 applications, 137 businesses have been selected as finalists in 16 categories, marking a 20% increase in businesses initiating and submitting entries compared to last year!
Alongside the category winners, the Business of the Year will be chosen from the pool of winners and the Hall of Fame Awards will be granted to those who have won their category three years in a row.
Sunshine Coast Business Awards Chair Jennifer Swaine congratulated this year’s high calibre of entrants and finalists, who now move into the next stage of the judging process with interviews taking place over the coming weeks.
“In addition to the interviews, Finalists will also have the opportunity to participate in the Masterclass to assist them to make the most of being a finalist,” she said.
According to Jen, the Sunshine Coast Business Awards were only possible thanks to the volunteer Awards Committee and the panel of judges as well as the financial support of sponsors.
As proud past finalists and winners, we’re now delighted to be media sponsors of this year’s Business Awards!
Together, IN Noosa Magazine and Hello Sunshine Magazine amplify the diverse voices of business owners across all sectors.
From entertainment to hospitality to health and wellbeing, we lay bare the heart of local businesses and the stories and successes flowing from each. Now we’re thrilled to share in recognising our business community on the regional stage!
After winning Large Hospitality in 2021 and 2022, Bella Venezia has been nominated in Hospitality for the third and final time! Should they secure the win, this local culinary stalwart will be inducted into the prestigious Sunshine Coast Business Awards Hall of Fame!
We’re also crossing our fingers for White’s IGA, another two-time winner of Large Retail in 2021 and 2022 and now in the running for Retail and a Hall of Fame induction in 2023!
A collection of renowned businesses we’ve previously and currently partnered with have returned to triumph in their categories for the second time around.
NOOSA alive! is a past winner of Small Festivals & Events in 2022, now merged with Experiences in 2023 for which the arts festival is nominated. Joining them is Creative Tours, nominated after earning the award for Small Experiences in 2022.
Mercure Sunshine Coast Kawana Waters is eager to secure their second win in Accommodation since 2022, and Nikki-Fogden Moore is again running for Export and Education & Training after taking home last year’s Small Education & Training!
We’re also excited to congratulate first-time finalists Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort for Accommodation; Social Tap for Business Services; Sunshine Beach Surf Club and Tony Kelly Restaurant Group for Hospitality; Bendigo Community Bank Sunshine Coast for Retail; SunnyKids, Katie Rose Cottage Hospice and endED for Social Impact; and Sunshine Coast Art and Framing Gallery and Bespoke Noosa Car Rentals for Trade and Services!
Jen Swaine said the Business Awards are reliant on sponsorships to ensure they can deliver the program throughout the year, now working with a record level of support including the naming rights sponsor, LPE.
“We now look forward to working with our Finalists as we complete the judging process and are excited as we head towards our celebration gala event that will be held on Saturday 11 November at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre,” she said.
“I would also like to acknowledge the committee members who are also volunteers and who contribute around 100 volunteer hours a month to deliver the awards year after year.”
Discover the full list of finalists in each category and save the dates for the upcoming Finalist Interviews from 4 to 6 October, Finalist’s Media Masterclass and Cocktail Event on 12 October and Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on 11 November!
