FAQs
Entries must relate to business activities undertaken between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.
Each category award is assessed against four criteria, with each criterion worth up to 25% of the total score:
- Improvements to Business
- Skill Development
- Reduction of Environmental Impact
- Delivery of Excellent Customer Service
Judges use a structured scoring matrix to determine scores. Higher scores are awarded to applications that demonstrate:
- Recent initiatives (within the 2025 judging period)
- Clear planning and implementation
- Measurable improvements to business performance
- Strong, relevant supporting evidence
Lower scores are given where:
- Initiatives are unclear or poorly defined
- Little or no supporting evidence is provided
- Activities are mentioned without demonstrating results or impact
To achieve a score in the top range (21–25), applicants should show recent, well-executed initiatives that clearly improved performance and are supported by strong evidence.
Applications that simply list activities without proof, measurable outcomes, or clear impact will score in the lower ranges.
Provide clear examples and proof of what you’ve achieved. Show results, not just activities.
Business improvements
- Sales or customer growth
- New systems or upgrades
- Operational improvements
Staff development
- Training certificates
- Courses completed
- Development plans
Environmental impact
- Energy or waste reduction
- Recycling programs
- Sustainable changes
Customer service
- Testimonials
- Reviews
- Survey results
Yes. Each section is worth 25%, so include information for all four.
The President’s Awards use a separate scoring matrix from the category awards.
President’s Award: Employee of the Year
This award is judged on five criteria:
- Work-related knowledge and skills
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Quality customer service
- Communication (internal and external)
- Innovation and initiative
President’s Award: Employer of the Year
This award is judged on five criteria:
- Workplace culture
- Leadership
- Employee education, training and development
- Employee health, safety and satisfaction
- Social and environmental responsibility
Scoring Matrix (for both President’s Awards)
Each of the five criteria is scored out of 3 points:
- 3 – Exceptional: Exceptional aspect of performance clearly supported by strong evidence
- 2 – Strong: Clear aspect of performance supported by evidence
- 1 – Limited: Performance noted but little or no supporting evidence provided
- 0 – Not Addressed: Criterion not addressed in the submission
As with all awards, providing clear, specific examples and supporting evidence will significantly strengthen your application and improve your overall score.
Each member business may enter a maximum of two award categories.
We recommend selecting the categories that best align with your strongest achievements and where you can provide clear, measurable evidence against all judging criteria.
Each application must represent one member business.
If your business operates multiple sites, each site must be a current financial member and hold its own member number to submit a separate application.
No. The judge will not assessing the size of your income, nor would you need to disclose this. They are assessing improvement, impact, and results during the judging period. Growth and progress are more important than turnover.
Online reviews can be included as supporting evidence under customer service, but they are only one part of the overall assessment. Judges look at the full picture, not just star ratings.
Businesses are assessed based on their achievements relative to their size and capacity. Small businesses are judged alongside other small businesses within their region. You can score just as highly by showing meaningful improvements, delivering excellent customer service, and demonstrating clear, measurable results.
- Clear examples
- Measurable results (numbers, percentages, growth)
- Evidence that matches the criteria