Celebrating our 2026 Award Winners!
We celebrate the outstanding businesses and individuals making a difference across our region.
Congratulations to all our winners and finalists, and thank you to everyone who helped make the 2026 Mount Gambier & Districts Business Awards a success!
Best of Business Awards
Sponsored by Westpac
Micro Business of the Year: Embody Women’s Health Mount Gambier
Small Business of the Year: Latitude Recruitment
Medium Business of the Year: Ray White Mt Gambier | Robe | Penola
Large Business of the Year: Limestone Coast Ability (not present)
Photo 1 L-R: Sam Taylor – Westpac, Latitude Recruitment; Bianca Rogers & Cathie Ferguson, Ray White Mt Gambier | Robe | Penola; Jess Teakle & Bella Calderwood, Sarah Coshan – Embody Women’s Health Mount Gambier, Brad Eagle – Westpac
Photo 2 L-R: Brad Eagle – Westpac presenting Ray White Mt Gambier | Robe | Penola; Bella Calderwood, Jess Teakle
Photo 3 L-R: Brad Eagle – Westpac presenting Latitude Recruitment; Bianca Rogers, Cathie Ferguson
Photo 4 L-R: Brad Eagle – Westpac presenting Embody Women’s Health Mount Gambier; Sarah Coshan
Photos by ZBM Media
Industry & Sector Awards
Education, Employment and Training Award – Sponsored by City of Mount Gambier: Limestone Coast Technical College
Health, Social Assistance and Care Award – Sponsored by Complete Commercial: Fire Station Optometrists
Manufacturing and Industrial Award – Sponsored by Complete Commercial: Porta Products
Primary and Agri Award – Southern Limestone Coast Council: Merrett Logging
Professional Services and Finance Award – Sponsored by The Border Watch: Greco Finance Co
Retail Award – Sponsored by Redgum Country: Bare Necessities Lingerie
Tourism, Hospitality and Accommodation Award – Sponsored by Seven Media Group: The Commodore
Trade and Construction Award – Sponsored by One Forty One: Tonkin
Transport, Logistics and Supply Chain Award – Sponsored by One Forty One: Mount Gambier Bus Lines
Wholesale and Distribution Award – Presented by Hon Nadia Clancy MP, Minister for Small and Family Business: Badger Workwear
Photo 1 L-R Josh Lynagh – City of Mount Gambier presenting the Limestone Coast Technical College team; Shaun Stafford, Todd Lang, Chrissy Jachmann, Simon Kerschke, Lynette Corletto, Jason Plunkett then Eluisa Crispino and Danielle Lewis.
Photo 2 L-R: Matt Kain, Complete Commercial presenting Fire Station Optometrists; Vishmi Arachchi and Heather Patzel
Photo 3 L-R: Porta Products; Vanessa Courtney, Mohamed Abbas, Suzanne Crowe, Stephanie Beck, Markus Frevert and Sam Whela presented by Brianna McBain – Complete Commercial.
Photo 4 L-R: Mayor Kylie Boston, Southern Limestone Coast Council Presenting Merrett Logging; Adam Merrett.
Photo 5 L-R: Elisabeth Champion – The Border Watch presenting Greco Finance Co; Christian Greco
Photo 6 L-R: Bare Neccessities Lingerie; Helen Hall, Jemma Glynn, Faith Bierwirth-Leigh and Sharon Tuffnell presented by Wendy Richardson, Redgum Country
Photo 7 L-R: Patrick O’Donnell, Seven News Group presenting The Commodore; Michael Kosch and Kate Sutton
Photo 8 L-R: Tonkin; Alison Rennison, Xavier Shiu, Ned Carthy, Tegan Lavia, Trent Phillips and presented by Robyn Patient – One Forty One
Photo 9 L-R: Gavin Anderson – One Forty One presenting Mount Gambier Bus Lines; Neil Davies and Chris Warren
Photo 10 L-R: Hon Nadia Clancy MP, Minister for Small and Family Business presenting, Badger Worklwear; Brook Harrison, Jayden Agnew, Makayla Couanon, Stacy Jantosh, Caitlin Taiapo, Johannes Kruger, Skye Oberlander
Photos by ZBM Media
KEY DETAILS FOR ATTENDEES
Key operational details and schedule information for the 2026 Mount Gambier and Districts Business Awards, hosted at the Wulanda Recreation & Convention Centre on Friday, 6 November 2026.
DOWNLOAD E-PROGRAMThe Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 2026 Mount Gambier and Districts Business Awards on Friday, 6 November 2026, at the Wulanda Recreation & Convention Centre at 6pm. This premier event will gather business leaders and community members to celebrate local excellence, innovation and success.
Stats for the Awards Journey
From open nominations and rigorous judging across 14+ categories to candidate workshops and the main event, see how our journey unfolds in numbers.
Categories
Nominations
education workshops
applications
judges
attendees
View the full list of the 2026 Award Finalists!
SPONSORSHIP
Elevate Your Brand
Align your business with regional excellence. Sponsor the 2026 Business Awards to gain premium exposure and network with hundreds of local leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers.
Tickets are now on sale including table sponsorships
APPLICATIONS
Share Your Story
Boost your brand, reward your team and stand out from the competition. If your business has achieved great things this year, it’s time to apply for the region’s highest business honour.
Ready to enter? Applications are open. Register as a new user on the portal and submit your application before the deadline on Monday, 21 September 2026.
View the Awards Online Application Guide to step you through the process.
To see how your entry will be evaluated, access the the Judging Rubric here.
NOMINATIONS
Missed the official nomination window? Don’t worry! You can jump straight into the application form to stay in the running, just follow these steps to self-nominate:
Log in: Go to the online Awards Force Platform.
Access the Portal: Register a new account.
Start Application: Jump right into the entry section and complete your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions in FAQs below. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Reach out to our support team and we’ll be happy to help!
NOMINATIONS
OPEN Tuesday 21 July
CLOSE Friday 21 Aug
APPLICATIONS
OPEN Saturday 22 Aug
CLOSE Monday 21 Sept
APPLICATIONS WORKSHOP #4
Thursday, 17 September 2026
AWARDS DINNER
Friday, 6 November 2026 at 6pm
Ticket sales close Friday 23 October
Award Categories
BEST OF BUSINESS AWARDS (4 Awards)
These four major categories are based on the applicant’s full-time equivalent workforce
size and recognise overall business excellence at each stage of business scale.
The Business of the Year awards recognise overall business excellence across different
business sizes. These categories consider leadership, performance, strategy,
innovation, people, customer outcomes, community contribution and future
sustainability.
– Micro Business of the Year: 0 to 2 full-time equivalent employees.
– Small Business of the Year: 3 to 8 full-time equivalent employees.
– Medium Business of the Year: 9 to 20 full-time equivalent employees.
– Large Business of the Year: 21 or more full-time equivalent employees
INDUSTRY AND SECTOR AWARDS (10 Categories)
Trade and Construction Award
For businesses and contractors shaping the physical world through building, civil
engineering, and specialised construction services.
Health, Social Assistance and Care Award
For dedicated providers delivering essential medical care, residential support, and vital social assistance services to the community.
Retail Business Award
For dynamic merchants and storefronts, both physical and digital, helping customers experience great service across food, automotive and general retail.
Manufacturing & Industrial Achievement Award
For the innovators turning raw materials into everything from food and textiles to heavy machinery and chemical products.
Professional Services and Finance Award
For trusted experts centrally managing wealth, security, and strategic growth across the finance, insurance, and corporate service sectors.
Primary and Agri Business Industry Award
For the essential producers and support networks driving agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and fishing industries.
Transport, Logistics & Supply Chain Award
For the movers and coordinators keeping the nation connected via road, rail, sea, postal delivery and organised warehousing solutions.
Wholesale & Distribution Award
For the vital B2B links supplying industries with bulk goods, groceries, machinery, and materials on a commercial scale.
Education, Employment and Training Award
For educators, schools, and institutions empowering community growth through earlychildhood, youth, or adult learning.
Tourism, Hospitality & Accommodation Excellence Award
Celebrating masters of the guest experience, from regional tourism operators and premier lodging to vibrant dining services that showcase the very best of destination hospitality.
REQUEST FOR TENDERS
The Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce sought tenders for integrated event services to deliver the 2026 Mount Gambier and Districts Business Awards. Scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026, at the Wulanda Recreation & Convention Centre, the premier event expects 400 to 600 guests, with the successful contractors managing end-to-end execution.
Tenders are now closed.
















