Nominations open for new Telstra Best of Business Awards

Telstra has launched its new awards program, the Telstra Best of Business Awards, which celebrates small and medium-sized businesses that use innovation and expertise to drive the nation forward. The program is among Telstra’s many awards programs that recognise exceptional leaders and small and medium businesses, providing a platform to further their success and inspire others.

Michael Ackland, Telstra Consumer and Small Business Group Executive, said the Telstra Best of Business Awards build on the success and learnings of these award programs and are a reflection of the company’s desire to continue to lead positive change for all Australians.

“We are proud of the support we have shown the small business community over the past 25 years through the Telstra Business Awards and the Telstra Business Women’s Awards, where we have recognised over 5000 finalists from both city and regional areas across each state and territory of Australia. It allows us to celebrate the businesses and people making a positive impact within their community, industry, across the country or perhaps the world,” Ackland said.

Ackland acknowledged the challenges of the past year, particularly those faced by small to medium businesses.

“We hope by creating this new program, we will lead a national conversation and shine a light on businesses that are making a meaningful contribution to Australia and provide them with the recognition they deserve,” Ackland said.

Central to the new program is the addition of an annually changing awards category — Progressing Australia. This new category will highlight businesses that are best responding to the most pressing issues in the nation. To identify this category, Telstra will conduct extensive research annually, with the Australian public and business experts, to gain a snapshot of the nation, and the issues that matter most. This research will be used to set the changing national agenda for the awards.

This year’s topic is Local Leadership — a category that recognises small businesses that are excelling in their role of building a thriving community of the future. The new program also prioritises diversity and inclusion, from improved accessibility to the entry process, to the creation of new categories. This includes Indigenous Excellence for Indigenous-owned businesses, Accelerating Women for businesses challenging exclusion and inequality and Building Communities for businesses working to make a positive impact on their communities.

“We are committed to embedding diversity and inclusion and ensuring all business owners from a cross-section of industries, sizes, categories and locations are able to enter and are judged fairly. We want to give everyone across Australia the opportunity to be on the main stage,” Ackland said.

All businesses under 200 employees are invited to nominate and enter across eight categories. Anyone can nominate an exceptional business by heading to the business awards website. Entering the Telstra Best of Business Awards will help business owners take their business to the next level; the judging process will seek to identify those who have an impact in the areas and industries most important to Australia’s growth.

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