October 7, 2019

If you’ve been thinking about entering business awards - one of the first questions you will probably want to know -  “Is there an award that I can enter?”

The answer is YES.
 



I’ve handpicked 5 awards you can enter in the next 12 months - some of them may not seem quite right or may challenge you but it’s worth a shot.

Each awards program is different - some have short applications, others are much longer - for some of them you may have an interview as part of the process.

Some may have an entry fee - others wont. For all of them it’s okay to self nominate.

Some awards have a lot of categories and others you are all in there together from the small home business to a much larger organisation.

The thing to always keep in mind is your business journey is yours alone. Unless you’ve copied someone else's set up, marketing and head hunted their employees and still then you will have your own differences. 

The reason I mention this is because we don’t want to get side tracked by comparing ourselves to others (that’s a whole different blog).

So let’s look at the awards you can enter in the next 12 months. 


1. Ausmumpreneur Awards 


If you’re a mum in business which I think most of you are - this is a great awards program to test the waters.

Why I like it?
Application process is simple
Small entry fee (get a free press release template)Judged and people choice categories

The awards normally open April/May. 


2. Local business/government/organisation awards


In nearly every town and region there is some version of business awards. And because they are run by so many different organisations it's fair to say they are a mix of application length and requirements. 

But the reason I think local awards are so important is: Publicity and awareness for YOU in your local area. If you work a lot online sometimes our own community doesn’t know we exist or what we do. 

Application process is fair - most I’ve seen range from 3,000 to 5,000 words 

Normally free to enter but the award night is normally ticketed for a big event. 

These awards are held at different times during the year - follow your local government or chamber of commerce for more information.


3. Australian Business Champion Awards

They have around 20 categories and are open for Retail or Service business with 40 employees or less or Manufacturing business with 100 employees or less.

Some of the reasons I like these awards are:

Time of year - I like these awards because they are run at the start of the year. Not only might you have some quiet time over January, you can also use the information to gather to help you create marketing for the next 6 to 12 months. It can also help in planning what you want to achieve for the year. 
Free to enter
Application process is fair - around 5,000 words.

The Australian Business Champion Awards open in November. 


4. Telstra Women’s Business Awards


This is one of the BIG ones and it can send a flurry of nervous butterflies into most business women’s tummies but it is an amazing program.

Reasons you should check it out:

Great publicity and recognition - easily one of the best known in Australia 
Huge application process - very useful business review and goal setting process for you as a leader and your business. 
Pinnacle of business awards for women in Australia - it opens up opportunities and new partnerships with a strong Alumni.


 The awards are open in October/November.


5. Stevie Women’s Awards 

The Stevie's are considered to be part of the world's premier business awards this program has a focus on women. 

Why it could be good for you:

Worldwide award
Different level of businesses to benchmark against.
Huge number of categories 

The Stevie Women’s Awards open for submissions in July. 


This is just a sample of the awards out there and which may be suitable for you.  Choose one to start your award journey and good luck! 

Want to know what other awards are out there and when they open?

Sign up to get a copy of my FREE awards calendar.  You'll be able to see what awards are out there and I’ll send out information when new awards become available.