Celebrating the region’s outstanding business operators, the Tablelands Business Excellence Awards recognise and showcase exceptional local business operators and service providers, acknowledging their hard work, exceptional business acumen and outstanding commitment to our community.
With ten diverse categories and the coveted Champion Business Award and People’s Choice Award up for grabs, the 2026 Tablelands Business Excellence Awards will once again recognise the ideas, innovation and grit it takes to build a business on the Tablelands – and be part of something bigger.
Each year, our local business leaders gather for a night of celebration, reflection and recognition. It’s a moment to celebrate the visionaries and the ventures that have made a mark – from thriving family businesses and social enterprises to international heavyweights and emerging stars. This year’s Award finalists and recipients will be announced at a Gala Awards Ceremony at the Atherton International Club on Saturday 30 May 2026.
Businesses and individuals need to nominate themselves. Nominations for the 2026 awards open 9am Thursday 9 April and close 5pm Friday 8 May 2026.
A mandatory requirement for all categories is that the business or individual applying must be located in the Tablelands Regional Council Local Government Area (TRC LGA) at the time of nomination, judging of the Awards and the Awards ceremony in 2026.
Steps to Apply
- Select a category and complete the nomination form below.
- Complete all fields and attach all necessary documents for your nomination to be considered.
- Fully and correctly complete the official nomination form for the award category you are entering and submit the nomination form online. The nomination form forms part of the Conditions of Entry.
- You can save your nomination to complete at a later date, however, all nominations must be submitted by 5pm Friday 8 May 2026.
- Once submitted, you will receive a copy of your nomination via email.
- You can add additional information and supporting documentation up until nominations close at 5pm Friday 8 May 2026.
- Businesses may nominate for more than one award category. Complete and submit a separate nomination form for each award category.
- The Tablelands Regional Council (TRC) Events team will contact you directly should they have any questions regarding your application.
Business Categories
Community Contribution Excellence
Recognises a business that has implemented positive community contributions and initiatives and integrated social, inclusive and ethical values into core decision-making processes and business culture.
Customer Service Excellence
Recognises a business that delivers consistent and high-quality service that is responsive to customer needs, including age, ability and culture. This business acts on feedback and goes the extra mile to satisfy. They have achieved growth by focusing on excellent customer service.
Employer of Choice
Recognises businesses that develop leading workplaces that maximise the full potential of their workforce. This is achieved by established policies and practices that demonstrate effective recruitment, engagement and retention.
Environmental Sustainability in Business
Recognises a business that is leading the way in sustainable practices and innovation. This business has implemented initiatives that have positive and long-term sustainability impacts and/or offers products and services that have positive environmental outcomes.
Food and Agribusiness Excellence
Recognises an agribusiness that has sourced local goods, and demonstrated a commitment to innovation, excellence and business practices that seek to grow and shape the future of agribusiness in the region.
Agribusiness includes every aspect of agriculture from the production of food including manufacturing and or value-adding to the sale, production and logistics around agricultural commodities.
New and Emerging Business
Recognises a recently established business (less than two years of operation at the time nominations open) that identified a market need and has successfully achieved a viable business model.
Technology and Innovation Impact
Recognises a business that has implemented new or advanced technologies into their and/or their clients’ business to drive performance, growth and/or profitability.
Tourism Business Excellence
Recognises a tourism business that attracts visitors, promotes our destination and delivers exceptional visitor experiences allowing them to stand out from competitors and enhance the appeal of the Atherton Tablelands (TRC LGA).
People’s Choice
Recognises a business that has amazing customer service, great community spirit, promotes itself and other businesses in the region, has an innovative approach to their offering and supports an inspiring team culture.
All businesses and organisations who have nominated for a Business Excellence Award are eligible for People’s Choice. Young Business Person of the Year and Business Person of the Year are not eligible for People’s Choice.
Voting for People’s Choice will be open from 9am Monday 11 May to 5pm Friday 22 May 2026.
Individual Categories
Business Person of the Year
Awarded to an outstanding leader whose vision, values and impact have significantly contributed to the success of the TRC LGA local community and economy.
Young Businessperson of the Year
Recognise established young business people and entrepreneurial changemakers aged 35 and under who are shaping the future of business on the Atherton Tablelands and contributing to the strength of the TRC LGA economy.
These conditions of entry set out all the information regarding the Tablelands Business Excellence Awards 2026. Entry into the Awards is considered acceptance of these Conditions of Entry.
Award Categories
There are ten categories available to be entered into as part of the Awards as listed below:
Business Awards
- Community Contribution Excellence
- Customer Service Excellence
- Employer of Choice
- Environmental Sustainability in Business
- Food and Agribusiness Excellence
- New and Emerging Business
- Technology and Innovation Impact
- Tourism Business Excellence
Individual Awards
- Business Person of the Year
- Young Business Person of the Year
How to Enter
To enter the awards, nominees must:
- Entries for the award categories will open at 9am Thursday 9 April and close at 5pm Friday 8 May 2026. Nominations will not be accepted after this time.
- Select a category and complete the nomination application.
- Fully and correctly complete the official nomination form for the award category you are entering and submit the nomination form online. The nomination form also forms part of the Conditions of Entry.
- You can save your nomination to complete fields later, up until nominations close 5pm Friday 8 May 2026.
- Once submitted, you will receive a copy of your nomination via email.
- You can add additional information and supporting documentation up until nominations close 5pm Friday 8 May 2026.
Businesses may enter more than one award category , however, a separate nomination form for each award category must be submitted.
Eligibility
To be eligible to enter the Awards, it is a requirement that each applicant:
- where the applicant is a natural person, has both a current permanent place of residence in the TRC LGA and a permanent place of business in the TRC LGA at the time of the nomination and continuously up to and including at the time of the Awards Ceremony in 2026
- where the applicant is a business, has a current Australian Business Number, an office (whether or not its registered office) in the TRC LGA and place of business located in the TRC LGA at the time of nomination and continuously up to and including at the time of the Awards Ceremony in 2026
- is not a department, statutory body, agency or instrumentality of government, including a Government Owned Corporation pursuant to the Government Owned Corporations Act 1993(Qld) or a company wholly or partly owned by the State under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
- where the applicant is a not-for-profit organisation, is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and as:
-
- a company; or
- an incorporated association; or
- being constituted by a trust endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a charity and has an Australian Business Number.
Additional eligibility for sponsors
- Official sponsors of the Awards, including their employees, are not eligible to enter the Award Category they sponsor; however, they may enter any other Award Category provided they satisfy the eligibility criteria for that Award Category.
- Nominations must meet and clearly address on the nomination form the specific award criteria for the Award Category they are entering. If the nominee has won a Tablelands Business Excellence award in the previous year, they are not eligible to be nominated for the same category this year. These businesses may choose to nominate in other categories for 2026.
- Non-conforming and or nominations with insufficient information will be deemed ineligible.
- TRC may, in its absolute discretion, make determinations in respect of the eligibility of any applicant. All such determinations will be final, and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into.
Award Judging
- Award Category winners will be determined by a two-tier judging approach. Award Category finalists will be selected through a judging panel from the information provided in the nomination forms. The Award Category recipient will be selected from the finalist list and determined the winner.
- The winner of each Award Category will be chosen on a determination of merit. Judging of entries will be in accordance with the responses to the criteria contained in the nomination form.
- The judges will consist of a panel of representatives, selected by TRC, based upon their subject matter experience and expertise.
- Judges sign a confidentiality agreement, and all information provided to the judges must be treated as confidential in nature.
- All categories except People’s Choice will be decided by a judging panel.
- The judges’ decision is final, and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into.
Key judging notes
Finalists are chosen based on written submissions. It’s a chance to bring your submission to life and share your vision with leaders who understand what it takes to grow a business.
Attachments help illustrate your story but don’t contribute to judging scores (except in the Business Person and Young Business Person categories, where references are mandatory).
Award Winners
- The winner from each business award category will be automatically entered and considered for the Champion Business of the Year Award. A separate judging panel will be established to select this award recipient.
- All nominated businesses are eligible for the People’s Choice Award. Voting for People’s Choice runs from 9am Monday 11 May to 5pm Friday 22 May 2026.
- Voting for People’s Choice is limited to six per household.
- Nominees in the Business Person of the Year and Young Business Person of the Year awards are not eligible for People’s Choice.
- Applicants are encouraged to discuss the most suitable category for the nominee with the TRC Events team before submitting a nomination. TRC reserves the discretion to move nominees to a more suitable category if a nominated category is deemed to be not suitable.
- By submitting a nomination, you agree that TRC may use images and information according to our Contributor License Deed.
- Finalists from each Award Category will be notified by email.
- Award finalists and recipients will be announced at a Gala Awards Ceremony to be held at the Atherton International Club on Saturday 30 May 2026.
- There will be one winner selected from each Award Category announced at the Awards Ceremony.
- The Champion Business Award recipient will be selected and announced at the Awards Ceremony.
How do I enter the Tablelands Business Excellence Awards 2026?
The first step is to select a category or categories and complete your entry via the online nomination form.
- Each category requires a separate nomination form.
- Nomination forms need to be electronically submitted.
- Images and documents can be submitted to support your nomination.
- Only forms with completed answers will be accepted.
The judging panel will consider your entry on each of the criteria questions.
To support your application, include business data specific to your nominating category. This information does not form part of the criteria but assists the judges in understanding your business.
Nominations for the 2026 awards will open on Thursday 9 April 2026. Award finalists and recipients will be announced at a Gala Awards Ceremony at the Atherton International Club on Saturday 30 May 2026.
If you are having issues with submitting your nomination form through the website, please contact the TRC Events Team by phone on 1300 362 242 or by email at trcevents@trc.qld.gov.au.
Is my business eligible for nomination?
Most businesses operating in the Tablelands Regional Council Local Government Area (TRC LGA) are eligible to enter the Awards.
This includes:
- businesses with their registered office in the TRC LGA
- businesses that are operating a physical office in the TRC LGA but do not have a registered office in the TRC LGA
- not-for-profit organisations operating in the TRC LGA that are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission and are:
- a company
- an incorporated association
- constituted by a trust endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a charity and has an Australian Business Number.
The following businesses or individuals are not eligible to enter:
- government agencies, statutory bodies or wholly or partly owned businesses and subsidiaries of the state government
- official award sponsors in their sponsored award category, and their employees. They can enter other categories.
- any applicant who does not meet the eligibility criteria detailed in the conditions of entry.
Businesses can confirm their eligibility via the TRC Events team prior to submitting their nomination form.
How do I know which category to enter?
Our categories section includes each category’s outline. Category criteria can be found on the TRC website.
Business owners/operators can nominate themselves in one of the individual award categories AND their business in one or more of the business award categories.
The Champion Business of the Year Award is awarded to the business deemed the most outstanding among the award winners.
Can my business enter more than one category?
Yes, businesses may enter more than one category if they choose, provided they meet the criteria for each category.
Who should I involve to develop my entry?
Enlist the help of people involved in your business. A second opinion from someone impartial is a great way to get feedback.
Our TRC Events team can answer technical questions relating to the awards program; however, they are not able to assist you with your nomination.
Can I only nominate for achievements during the 2025–26 financial year?
Entry in all categories is open to achievements from a variety of financial years. Each category is different. Refer to the relevant category criteria for details.
Can I provide supporting material?
The Business Person of the Year and Young Business Person of the Year categories require supporting material, including references from:
- suppliers
- customer reviews
- community organisations
Judges will be looking at references in these categories.
While not required, supporting documentation may be submitted for other award categories and include photos, logo, video link, brochures, and presentations. However, judges may not view attachments in these categories.
Supporting material cannot be used to provide attachments which seek to extend responses beyond the application form.
How will I know if my entry is received?
Each entrant will receive an email with a copy of the nomination at the time it is submitted. The TRC Events team will confirm your entry has been received.
What happens to my entry at the conclusion of the Awards?
TRC will retain electronic copies of all entries for probity reasons. All information on these entries will be kept in accordance with the Conditions of Entry.
How confidential is my entry?
Throughout the judging process, the information contained in your submission will be accessible by TRC and Award judges only. Award judges are required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Financial data, personal information of employees other than the applicant and referee details will remain confidential.
However, any business and personal information, including any digital images and records provided in your application form and/or during the judging process and awards ceremony, may be used in marketing and promotional material.
Who judges my entry?
The judges are local and national experts from relevant business disciplines.
How will I know if I’m a finalist?
All finalists will receive an email between Thursday 21 May and Friday 22 May. An email will be sent to all entrants after the finalists have been announced.
How do I purchase tickets to the ceremony?
All tickets will be purchased from the Awards website through our secure online payment system. Tickets are $100 inclusive of GST plus Eventbrite fee and service fee, and available for purchase individually or in tables of 10.
Who are some of the past winners of the Awards?
There are a few. See some of the previous Award Winners on our website.
Can I enter the Awards next year?
Yes. However, if you are the winner of a category, you are ineligible to enter the same category in the following year.
I have more questions. Who can I contact?
You can email any questions to trcevents@trc.qld.gov.au or call us on 1300 362 242. We’ll send a reply email, usually within two business days of the enquiry being received.
A great application tells a clear, compelling story – one that captures your achievements, your impact and your ambition. Every entry is reviewed over three stages by independent experts from respected organisations.
These independent judges bring experience and a deep understanding of what makes a business truly exceptional. Their role is to identify the most exciting businesses, boldest ideas and standout leaders making an impact on the Tablelands.
Choose the right category
Carefully review the category selection criteria. Businesses can enter more than one category, if eligible. If you’re unsure, the TRC Events team can help guide you.
Tell your story with passion
Don’t just tick the boxes. This is your opportunity to show how your business is making a real impact – for your customers, your industry and for the Tablelands. Engage your founder, CEO, key leaders or volunteers in the process to help bring depth and authenticity to your nomination.
Keep it clear and compelling
Avoid jargon, acronyms or assuming prior knowledge. Write for someone who may be hearing about your business for the first time. Edit for clarity and consistency and consider having someone outside your business review your answers.
Use data and detail to back it up
Submissions should be supported with relevant figures, milestones and outcomes. Context is key – explain what the challenge was, what you did and what happened as a result. All judges are bound by strict confidentiality agreements. Any commercial or sensitive information submitted is handled with absolute discretion and care.
Need support?
We’re here to help. For all questions, email us at trecevents@trc.qld.gov.au or phone 1300 362 242. We’ll get back to you within two business days.