Celebrating business excellence across NSW.
Entries are now open for the 2025 Business NSW Awards 2025 – the state’s leading celebration of business excellence, innovation, and impact. Whether you’re a startup, a thriving small business, a major player, or a trailblazer in tourism and hospitality, this is your chance to be recognised, raise your profile, and celebrate your people.
Four new visitor economy categories
This year, Business NSW has added four new award categories to recognise the vital role the visitor economy plays in shaping resilient and vibrant communities across the state:
- Outstanding Visitor Experience – celebrates businesses that deliver exceptional experiences for guests, tourists, or patrons.
- Outstanding Visitor Economy Collaboration – recognises partnerships and initiatives led by local business chambers, local governments, visitor centres, tourism associations, or groups of operators (two or more) that strengthen and grow the visitor economy.
- Outstanding 24-Hour Economy Collaboration – recognises innovative projects undertaken in the past 12 months by local business chambers, local governments, visitor centres, tourism associations, or group of operators. Examples include cultural festivals, night markets, late night retail, evening dining experiences and night-time art exhibitions.
- Excellence in Sustainable Tourism recognises tourism operators that champion sustainability by minimising environmental impact both internally and in customer interactions. These new categories set the stage for tourism operators, experience providers, cultural venues, hospitality businesses and regional collaborators to share their stories on a statewide platform.
Why enter the Business NSW Awards?
The Business NSW Awards are a hallmark of excellence and a springboard for further success. Businesses benefit from:
- Statewide recognition – celebrated at a black-tie event at ICC Sydney on 29 October 2025, attended by business leaders, government, and media.
- Profile boost – built credibility and gain media exposure by joining one of the state’s most respected awards programs.
- Networking and growth – Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders from all sectors and regions.
- Reflection and celebration – pause to recognise your achievements your success, acknowledge your people, and celebrate your success.
Categories at a glance
In addition to the four new visitor economy awards, the Business NSW Awards feature long-standing and highly sought-after categories,
including:
- Excellence in Innovation
- Excellence in Sustainability
- Employer of Choice
- Outstanding New Business (Start-Up)
- Outstanding Community Organisation
- Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
- Outstanding Business Leader
- Outstanding Young Business Leader
- Outstanding Local Chamber …and many more.
How it works
Businesses first compete in local or regional awards hosted by Chambers of Commerce and Business NSW offices. Regional winners then advance to the State Awards at the ICC Sydney on 29 October 2025.
This two-step process highlights local success and provides a platform for exceptional stories to be amplified across NSW.
Entry is free but the value is priceless
Entries are now open and free for eligible NSW businesses. With diverse categories, including new visitor economy awards, this is your chance to showcase what makes your business exceptional.
Whether you’re building your brand, celebrating a milestone, or leading your industry, tell your story at the Business NSW Awards 2025.
This article was produced with content supplied by Business Awards NSW and is a Signature Luxury Travel & Style digital exclusive. Be the first to see more exclusive online content by subscribing to the enewsletter below.
