By submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that they have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all Terms and Conditions set out in this document. The entrant acknowledges that NSW Business Chamber Limited (Business NSW) ACN 000 014 504 reserves full discretion in all matters relating to but not limited to eligibility, judging, progression, and award decisions. 

1.1 To enter the Business NSW Business Awards (BNSW Awards) all applicants must read and understand the terms and conditions set out in this document (Terms and Conditions) and complete the online entry form for your chosen category.  

1.2 Business NSW reserves the right to alter or change these Terms and Conditions at any time at its discretion. 

1.3 All entrants into the BNSW Awards will be notified of any change to these Terms and Conditions that has taken place before their entry is judged and will be provided with a reasonable opportunity to amend or alter their entry (should they wish to do so). 

1.4 By submitting an entry, the entrant acknowledges and agrees that Business NSW may use the information provided in their application (excluding commercially sensitive financial data) for marketing, promotional, training, and program development purposes. This may include case studies, educational resources, public reporting, and Awards-related communications. Business NSW will ensure that any information used is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and will not disclose confidential or sensitive information without the entrant’s consent. 

1.5 By lodging your entry, you agree to provide Business NSW and any other third party undertaking external validation on its behalf, with any relevant documentation requested in order to assess your application (including to verify your entry against the eligibility criteria requirements set out in these Terms and Conditions). 

1.6 Business NSW reserves the right in its sole discretion to mandate the terms upon which any individual or business entry may utilise Business NSW’s logo in connection with the Awards, including the right to revoke that permission at any time.  

1.7 Finalists and winners are encouraged to attend all awards and gala events related to the subsequent awards program they choose to enter. Business NSW is not responsible for travel or accommodation. All attendees must behave professionally; misconduct may lead to removal or disqualification. 

1.8 Business NSW is not liable for technical issues, event changes, or indirect damages arising from participation in the BNSW Awards. 

2.1 Upon their submission pursuant to these Terms and Conditions, entries become the property of Business NSW. All information provided in the entry form will be used for the purpose of judging only and will be treated as commercial-in-confidence by Business NSW and any of its related or controlled entities, unless otherwise specified.  

2.2 If you are selected as a finalist in the BNSW Awards, information provided in your entry (excluding financial information) will be used for the purpose of promoting the BNSW Awards and your business.  

2.3 Contact information provided in your entry form may be disclosed to sponsors for the purpose of direct opportunities for promotion through sponsor partners. You can refuse the disclosure of contact information to sponsors by advising 13 26 96 or businessawards@businessnsw.com in writing. 

2.4 In accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), Business NSW may collect, use, and disclose personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy which can be viewed online at: https://www.mybusiness.com.au/privacy-policy or by contacting the Privacy Manager via the following:

Level 7, 8 Chifley Square, Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia  

E: privacy.manager@businessaustralia.com  

2.5 The Privacy Policy is deemed to be incorporated into these Terms and Conditions and by entering the BNSW Awards, you are taken to consent to Privacy Policy. The Privacy Policy may be replaced or varied at the discretion of Business NSW from time to time, effective immediately upon posting such changes to the My Business website, and as replaced or varied it is incorporated into these Terms and Conditions.

3.1 Entry is free.  

3.2 All submissions are to be lodged through the BNSW Awards website at https://www.businessnsw.com (Website).  

3.3 Your entry must be submitted by the time published on the Key Award Dates section on your chose regional website. This time is in Australian Eastern Standard time, unless advised otherwise by the Business NSW awards team. 

3.4 All entries must be submitted through a Business NSW Regional Awards Program. Direct entries into the BNSW State Awards will not be accepted.  

4.1 Refer to the Key Award Dates page on the Website for entry opening dates.  

4.2 Business NSW reserves the right to extend or vary the entry period if required, before or after the BNSW Awards entry period commences.  

5.1 Refer to the Key Award Dates page on the website for entry closing dates.  

5.2 Business NSW reserves the right to extend or vary the entry period if required, before or after the BNSW Awards entry period commences.

6.1 All businesses that submit an entry must trade under an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and be a current member of NSW Business Chamber Ltd which trades under ‘Business NSW’, ‘My Business’ and other trading names.  

6.2 Subject to clause 6.1, entries can be submitted by any business that has been continuously operating in NSW for a minimum period of 24 months at the time of the published close date as published in the Key Award Dates section on the Website.  

6.3 Entry into the BNSW Awards is not open to Board Members of the Business NSW or any of its related or controlled entities.  

6.4 Entry into the Outstanding Employee, Outstanding Young Business Leader and Outstanding Business Leader categories are not open to Board Members, Regional Presidents or State Councillors of Business NSW. Business NSW Regional Advisory Councillors and State Councillors can enter their business in other BNSW Award Categories.  

6.5 Staff members of Business NSW or any of their related or controlled entities are not eligible to enter the BNSW Awards. 

6.6 An entry into the awards program by all individuals stated in clause 6.4 and 6.5 shall be automatically disqualified. 

6.7 An entry into the individual award categories (Outstanding Employee, Outstanding Young Business Leader and Outstanding Business Leader) shall be automatically disqualified if: 

• the entrant becomes bankrupt or insolvent; or
• the entrant becomes disqualified from holding office as a director of any organisation or company.
• If the individual nominated for the category ceases employment with the organisation within the entry. 

6.8 Business NSW reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry who Business NSW has reason to believe may have breached any of these Terms and Conditions (including any of the eligibility requirements), or engaged in any unlawful, fraudulent, misleading, deceptive, or other improper misconduct that may jeopardise the fair and proper conduct of the BNSW Awards or otherwise may bring the BNSW Awards into disrepute or damage the goodwill or reputation of Business NSW and the BNSW Awards.  

6.9 Business NSW accepts no responsibility for any entries lost in transit or not received by the closing time due to technical disruptions or any other reason beyond the control of Business NSW.  

6.10 Entrants must ensure they meet, and continue to meet, all eligibility criteria requirements set out in these Terms and Conditions, in addition to any category-specific requirements published on the categories section of the website or all other awards related resources on categories.  

6.11 Business NSW does not assess, verify, or make determination regarding an entrant’s employment status, working hours workload allocation or involvement in any secondary or external business activities as part of the judging process. The BNSW Awards do not define or distinguish between full-time, part-time, casual, contract, hybrid or other working arrangements when assessing eligibility.  

6.12 Eligibility for leadership and employee categories is based solely on:

a) the entrant being a current employee of the nominated organisation at the time of judging; and
b) the merit of the achievements demonstrated within the entry. 

6.13 An entrant’s working hours, time allocation across multiple roles, or engagement in side businesses are not considered in the judging process and do not affect eligibility. Business NSW will not be held accountable for disputes arising from differing interpretations of workload, working hours, or the nature of an entrant’s employment or external business activities.

7.1 All entries for consideration must be lodged online and include all the required information.  

7.2 Business NSW reserves the right to declare any entry ineligible, if at any time during or after the term of the award process your entry form is found to be incomplete, deficient, false, or misleading in any way.  

7.3 At Business NSW’s absolute discretion, your entry will be allocated to a Business NSW Regional Awards Program, based on the street address, location, and postcode of your business' premises at the time of registration.  

7.4 Where a Business operates at a number of physical locations, this business can enter multiple Regional Award Programs, only in they have different ABN (Australian Business Number) for each location.  

7.5 With reference to clause 7.4, Such business or entrant will only progress to the BNSW Awards once for each eligible category.

8.1 Business NSW provides the online entry and judging portal for the BNSW Awards. Local Business Chamber and Regional Awards which are aligned with the BNSW Awards program may have other award categories which do not align with those outlined in these Terms and Conditions. Those Local and Regional Awards categories may have different terms and conditions that apply.

9.1 To maintain the integrity of the awards, only businesses that have been established and built from the ground up are eligible. 

9.2 A business is not eligible to enter this category if it has been purchased, acquired, or is part of a franchise. 

9.3 Businesses must have been trading for a period of less than two years and is not bankrupt or trading insolvent at the time of entry 

9.4 Businesses that have been acquired or purchased are encouraged to consider entering other suitable categories depending on their employee size such as:

• Excellence in Micro Business
• Excellence in Small Business
• Excellence in Large Business

10.1 To maintain the integrity of the awards, business leaders must be aged 36 or over at the time of entry. 

10.2 Entrants cannot be a Business NSW employee, Regional President, State Councillor or Board Member of NSW Business Chamber Limited. 

10.3 Business NSW reserves the right to disqualify any entrants that terminates their employment at the organisation, with which their entry was based on before the awards gala event, whether local, regional or state. 

10.4 Business NSW reserves the right to disqualify any entrants from progressing further into the awards program if the business with which their entry is based is closed down or declared bankrupt. 

11.1 All entries are judged by a panel of subject matter experts, selected by Business NSW from business and community leaders, which may also include previous State Category Winners and Category Sponsors. These judges may be drawn from current employees of Business NSW or any of its related or controlled entities.  

11.2 At its discretion, Business NSW applies a weighting to each question, based on the complexity of that question in relation to all questions within a category.  

11.3 Judges will allocate scores to each question asked, and these scores will be multiplied by an unseen weighting to reach an overall score for each entry.  

11.4 There will only be one winner per category.  

11.5 Where there are two or more entries with the same highest score, a third judge will be introduced to decide on the winner of the tied entries. If after the judging panel has been reconvened, there is still two or more entries with the same highest score, the Business NSW Regional Director will have the final determination.  

11.6 State Category Winners may be eligible to form part of the immediate subsequent year's Regional Awards Judging Panel for their winning category, if they are not entering that category in the year, they are judging or the year immediately following their role as a judge.  

11.7 Judges are required to sign a confidentiality agreement and disclose any conflict of interest.  

11.8 The Judging Panel's decision is final, and no further correspondence will be entered into.  

11.9 In situations where there is only one entrant for a category in a Regional Award, this entry will be judged. Subject to meeting a gateway score, the entry will become an automatic State Finalist and will be awarded a State Finalist certificate and represent their region in that category at the State Gala event. They will be recognised at the Regional Awards dinner but will not be declared a Regional Winner; they will be referred to as a State Finalist. 

11.10 A representative of Business NSW or the Judging Panel may contact any entrant via telephone interview or email for further information or to verify their entry prior to selecting the final preferred winner. Conducting such interviews does not create any obligation on Business NSW or the Judging Panel to select the interviewed entrant as a winner.

12.1 All Regional and State Finalists will be notified by phone, email, and published on the BNSW Awards Website.  

12.2 Winners will be announced at the gala event in each Region, with the State Category Winners announced at the State Gala Event. In a Region where there is no gala event, winners will be notified and awarded their Regional Winner trophy in person.  

12.3 It is a condition of entry for all entrants that, if requested by Business NSW, the entrant agrees to participate in media requests, social media, and other publicity requests (such as Business NSW events) conducted by and for use by Business NSW and any of their related or controlled entities. Business NSW, in its absolute discretion, may select any entrant to participate in these activities. There will be no fee payable, remuneration or other direct financial benefit to be received by the entrant (other than the marketing opportunity) as a result of any participation in these activities.

13.1 There are five levels of achievement in the BNSW Awards. 

13.2 Winning Prize: The winner will be awarded with a trophy on stage at the BNSW Awards gala event. In the case that a winning entrant fails to attend the awards gala and collect their trophy, Business NSW will arrange a replacement to collect the trophy on their behalf. Alternatively, Business NSW will post the trophy to the entrant following the awards gala. 

13.3 Hall of Fame: This level of achievement is awarded to entrants who have won the same category for three consecutive years in a row. The organisation or person who is placed in the "Hall of Fame" shall then be excluded from entry into that category at both the State and Regional Awards for the next two consecutive years.  

13.4 Subject to clause 13.3, State and Regional winners, including members of the Hall of Fame, may enter any other category in the subsequent year of their announced win. 

13.5 Business of the Year: The “Business of the Year” title is awarded at the discretion of Business NSW and is selected from winners of specific eligible categories determined by Business NSW each year. Only winners of these designated categories will be considered for the Business of the Year title. Business NSW reserves the right to determine, amend, or limit which categories are eligible for consideration and is under no obligation to include all category winners. The criteria and eligible categories for Business of the Year may vary at the Local, Regional, and State levels. 

13.6 Category Winners: A Category Winner is the entrant whose submission achieves the highest overall score within that award category, as determined solely by the appointed judging panel and based on the published judging criteria. Business NSW does not disclose individual scores, score breakdowns, or judge-specific assessments. 

13.7 Highly Commended: A Highly Commended recognition may be awarded to a business or individual whose submission achieves a score within one point of the Category Winner’s score, as determined by the judging panel. This recognition is granted at the discretion of Business NSW and the judges and may be awarded to more than one entrant or withheld entirely depending on scoring outcomes. 

13.8 State Finalists: A State Finalist is an entrant whose submission meets the benchmark score of 60% or above. This recognition is usually sent as a soft copy via email to the finalist. At State award events, Business NSW will print copies of the certificate and hand out during the show (no stage presentation).

14.1 These Terms and Conditions apply to entrants into all Business NSW Regional Business Awards, including the winning entrants of Local Business Chamber awards which are aligned with the BNSW Awards, unless otherwise agreed.  

14.2 Please note that additional terms and conditions may also be applied by the Local Business Chamber or Regional Business Chamber running such awards. Please check the relevant Local Business Chamber or Regional Business Chamber Awards website for their terms and conditions.

15.1 Local Business Chamber Award winners are eligible to progress to the Business NSW Regional Awards program as a Regional Finalist subject to complying with the BNSW Awards Terms and Conditions. 

15.2 Category winners at a Local Business Chamber and Regional level must satisfy a gateway score that the Business NSW will set at the start of every awards program. This score will be awarded by the BNSW Awards Judging Panel.

16.1 Subject to meeting a gateway score (which is set by Business NSW in its absolute discretion), all Local Chamber Award Program aligned category winners will automatically become regional finalists in the Business NSW Regional Awards. 

16.2 Subject to meeting a gateway score (which is set by Business NSW in its absolute discretion), all Regional Award Program category winners will automatically become a state finalist in the Business NSW State Awards. 

16.3 Entrants who participate in a Local Business Awards program but do not achieve winner status in their entered category shall remain eligible to enter the corresponding Regional Business Awards program for the same awards year, provided all other eligibility requirements are met 

16.4 Business NSW shall not restrict or prohibit an eligible entrant from submitting an entry at the Regional Awards level on the basis that the entrant did not win at the Local Awards level. 

16.5 Notwithstanding clause 16.4, Business NSW reserves the right to restrict such entrants from entering the same category in which they previously competed at the Local Awards level. Entrants in this circumstance may elect to enter an alternative category deemed more appropriate to their business operations, achievements, or industry representation. 

16.6 Any entries submitted under this provision will be assessed independently in accordance with the judging criteria and process applicable to the Regional Business Awards. No scores, feedback, or judging outcomes from the Local Awards will be carried forward or taken into consideration.

17.1 Business NSW may provide generalised feedback to entrants at its discretion; however, detailed judging notes, scoring breakdowns, and individual judge comments will not be released. Feedback is not guaranteed for all entrants due to confidentiality requirements and the volume of submissions received. Any feedback provided is intended for development purposes only and does not constitute grounds for appeal, dispute, or reconsideration of judging outcomes. Judges’ decisions are final, and Business NSW is under no obligation to provide further clarification, additional feedback, or justification beyond what is formally supplied.

18.1 The BNSW Awards comprise of the following categories:
18.1.1 Outstanding Employee;
18.1.2 Outstanding Young Business Leader;
18.1.3 Outstanding Business Leader - 20 Employees and under
18.1.4 Outstanding Business Leader - 21 Employees and over
18.1.5 Outstanding Local Chamber;
18.1.6 Excellence in International Business;
18.1.7 Employer of Choice - 20 Employees and under
18.1.8 Employer of Choice - 21 Employees and over
18.1.9 Excellence in Innovation;
18.1.10 Excellence in Sustainability;
18.1.11 Outstanding Community Organisation;
18.1.12 Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion;
18.1.13 Outstanding New Business;
18.1.14 Excellence in Micro Business;
18.1.15 Excellence in Small Business;
18.1.16 Excellence in Medium Business;
18.1.17 Excellence in Large Business;
18.1.18 Outstanding Visitor Experience;
18.1.19 Outstanding Visitor & 24-Hour Economy Collaboration
18.1.20 Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
18.1.21 Excellence in Workplace Health & Wellbeing
18.1.22 Dean Goddard Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to the NSW Tourism Industry (STATE AWARDS ONLY)
18.1.23 Business of the Year.

Business NSW may, in its sole discretion (without prior notice) add or vary these award categories of both State and Regional level from time to time. Winners of the aligned categories listed in clause 18 from each Regional Awards program, will progress to the BNSW Awards as a State Category Finalist subject to satisfying these Terms and Conditions. 

Business NSW may have additional Regional Award categories relevant to each region. Please note these additional Regional Award categories do not progress to the BNSW Awards.