NOMINATION AND ENTRY GUIDE
CHDC is delighted to invite you to participate in the 7th Central Highlands Business Excellence Awards.
From small enterprises taking their first steps to well-established industry leaders, every business has a unique story of perseverance, growth, and success.
These Awards provide a platform to showcase and celebrate those stories.
Start your journey using our Nomination and Entry Guide – download a copy using the blue button or simply use the links below to find out everything you need to know.
Entering the Central Highlands Business Excellence Awards is a valuable opportunity to showcase your business, gain recognition, and drive future success.
Key benefits of participating include:
- Celebrate your achievements
- Increase brand awareness
- Attract new customers and clients
- Strengthen team morale
- Receive valuable feedback
- Boost credibility and reputation
- Stand out in your industry
- Contribute to a thriving business community
- Enhance business planning and strategy
Including, but not limited to:
• Livestock
• Grain, pulses and fibre
• Fruit, vegetables and nuts
Including, but not limited to:
• Beauty salons, hairdressers, spas, or cosmetic service providers
• Fitness centres, gyms, yoga studios, or personal training businesses
• Health clinics, allied health providers, or alternative therapy practices
• Wellness coaches, mental health support services, or holistic practitioners
This category is proudly supported by Local Buying Foundation.
To be eligible, the business registration must be after 30 March 2022.
This category is proudly supported by H.E.M.E.
Including, but not limited to:
• Manufacturers producing goods, equipment, or materials
• Construction companies involved in residential, commercial, or infrastructure projects
• Trades businesses offering skilled services such as electrical, plumbing, carpentry, welding, or landscaping
• Innovators in construction technology, green building solutions, or advanced manufacturing techniques
This category is proudly supported by the State Government's Queensland Manufacturing Hubs.
Including, but not limited to:
• Suppliers of mining equipment, machinery, or tools
• Providers of technology solutions such as automation, data analytics, or software for mining
• Engineering, design, or maintenance services supporting mining operations
• Consultants or specialists offering expertise in areas like safety, environmental management, or logistics
• Innovators focused on sustainability, reducing environmental impact, or improving operational efficiency in mining
This category is proudly supported by Kestrel Coal Resources.
Including, but not limited to:
• Not-for-profit (profit for purpose) organisations
• Social enterprises
• Community groups operating across all sectors
This category is proudly supported by Yumba Bimbi Support Services.
Including, but not limited to:
• Legal, accounting, financial planning, or consulting firms
• Marketing, advertising, or public relations agencies
• IT and technology service providers or software developers
• Training providers
• Architecture, engineering, or design firms
• Photography and videography
• Creative services (graphic design and web design)
This category is proudly supported by CQUniversity.
Including, but not limited to:
• Branch operations
• Franchises
• Retail chains
This is the only category available to businesses operating under a franchise or chain model.
This category is proudly supported by Whitehaven.
Including, but not limited to:
• Accommodation providers, such as hotels, motels, resorts, or eco-lodges
• Tour operators offering unique local experiences or adventures
• Restaurants, catering services, pubs, and cafés
• Event organisers creating festivals, markets, or other tourism attractions
• Businesses offering services that enhance the visitor experience, such as transport, guides, or curated packages
This category is proudly supported by Queensland Country Tourism.
To be eligible, the sole trader must not have any employees.
This category is proudly supported by Serenity Dental.
Strategic and business planning is the structured process for developing and implementing long-term goals and objectives for the organisation.
This criterion examines how you approach, execute, measure, and communicate strategic and business planning in your organisation.
Marketing Strategy is a long-term, forward-looking approach to planning marketing acitivites within your business with the fundamental goal of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage.
This criterion explores how your business plans, manages, and monitors marketing activities and tactics.
A competitive advantage is the differentiating factor that sets your business apart. Understanding and promoting your competitive advantage can result in outperforming your competitors.
This criterion asks you to explain how your business stands out from others in your market and how you communicate and monitor this.
Customer centricity is a business approach that prioritises understanding and meeting customer needs at every stage of the journey. By focusing on delivering value, personalised experiences, and strong relationships, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and drive long-term success.
This criterion asks you to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction, including any initiatives you have in place to ensure quality and meet industry benchmarks.
Staff development involves providing employees with training, learning opportunities, and career growth initiatives to enhance their skills and knowledge. Investing in staff development improves productivity, job satisfaction, and overall business success.
This criterion asks you to explain how you work to develop organisational culture, training and knowledge, and productivity for staff including yourself.
Innovation is defined as the multi-stage process whereby organisations transform ideas into new or improved products, services, or processes, to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace. It may include research and development activities.
This criterion asks you to explain how you have embraced innovation and digital presence to improve operations and stay competitive.
Sustainability is the commitment to operating a business in a way that supports long-term environmental, social, and economic well-being.
This criterion assesses how your business integrates sustainability into its operations, with a focus on environmental responsibility and community development.
To ensure the integrity of the awards, businesses are asked to demonstrate financial viability through accountant verification of company’s solvency (provided in strict confidence and not retained by CHDC post event). By receiving this documentation, judges can be assured that the business is in a financially viable position.
The Central Highlands Development Corporation Hall of Fame Award honours businesses that have demonstrated excellence in their field by winning a category award at three separate Central Highlands Business Excellence Awards.
It represents outstanding achievement, consistency, and lasting impact within the business community.
YEAR | BUSINESS NAME
2017 GeoRadar, H.E.M.E
2019 Fair Dinkum Meats, 4t Consultants
2023 TNC Cranes, Maraboon Vet
Whether you want to highlight a deserving organisation or showcase your own achievements, we invite you to take part in the 2025 Central Highlands Business Excellence Awards. Follow the steps below to participate:
- Nominations open on 3 March and close on 30 March.
- You can nominate a business (including your own) by clicking here.
- This initial step is just a nomination registration – no detailed entry is required at this stage.
• After nominations close, CHDC will contact all nominated businesses to confirm their participation.
• CHDC will provide a link to the official entry form.
• Businesses must complete the entry form and submit it online.
• The deadline for submission is 11:59 pm on 1 June.
• All entries will be reviewed by the judging panel.
• Finalists will be officially announced on 4 July.
• Judges will conduct site visits to finalist businesses from 28 to 30 July.
• This allows businesses to showcase their operations, achievements, and excellence in their industry.
Winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner on 6 September.
Stay ahead by marking these important dates in your diary for the 2025 Business Excellence Awards.
To support you with your entry, CHDC is proud to bring a range of workshops to the region and link you with valuable online sessions. Click here for the full list of events.
A panel of independent business representatives from outside the region has been selected to ensure an impartial judging process. The assessment process consists of two stages:
Each entry is thoroughly reviewed and scored by all three judges.
While there is no fixed number of finalists per category, businesses must meet the required benchmark to advance to the next stage.
Finalists will be announced on Friday, 4 July.
Finalist businesses will host site visits from the judging panel from 28 to 30 July.
These visits provide an opportunity for businesses to showcase their operations, strategy, vision, and values.
Each site visit will last no longer than 45 minutes.
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Queensland Small Business Commission
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The People’s Choice Award lets the community nominate and vote for their favourite local businesses.
Entirely decided by the public, this award highlights businesses that have made a lasting impact on their customers and community, showcasing the winner’s dedication, service, and excellence.
YEAR | BUSINESS NAME
2013 Route 66 Motor Inn
2015 M & R Colour Studio
2017 New Beginnings Personal Training
2019 Takarakka Bush Resort
2021 Country Allure
2023 Serenity Dental
This category is proudly supported by Serenity Dental.
• Nominations open on 2 June and close on 29 June.
• Show your support to a deserving business by completing the online nomination form.
• After nominations close, CHDC will contact all nominated businesses to confirm their participation.
• CHDC will provide promotional materials, including links and QR codes, to encourage public voting.
• Voting opens on 1 July and closes on 3 August. Cast your vote online here.
• Winner will be announced at the Gala Dinner 6 September.
To be eligible to enter the Central Highlands 2025 Business Excellence Awards, you will be required to meet the following conditions of entry:
- The business must be a registered Central Highlands business and hold a valid Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Businesses and individuals can nominate or self-nominate. All entries must be submitted by Sunday 1 June at 11.59pm.
- All entries must be completed using the online entry form.
- You must submit a letter from your accountant stating that your business is in a financially viable position.
- Applicants can enter one or more of the listed categories. However, it is highly recommended that applicants enter a category where they can demonstrate a competitive edge. If the judges believe that an entry has been placed in an incorrect category, the judges reserve the right to transfer the submission into another category.
- Franchisees residing within the Central Highlands region are permitted to enter the Regional Integration category.
- Finalists and winners must participate in promotion associated with the Awards where necessary. This includes images which may be used on CHDC’s websites, publications, social media or by other media and marketing channels.
- Information provided in the application will be treated as confidential and used solely for the purpose of judging the awards. Judges and organisers will be bound by confidentiality agreements.
- Judges reserve the right not to present an award if the circumstances do not warrant such an award. The decision of the judges is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
For more information, see CHDC’s Disclaimer, CHDC’s Terms and Conditions and CHDC’s Privacy Policy.
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