Finalists have been announced for the Sunshine Coast Business Awards, after a record number of entries were submitted for the annual accolades.
Judges spent hundreds of hours deliberating over nominations before compiling shortlists.
Awards chair Jennifer Swaine says there are now 137 high-calibre finalists in the running for awards in 16 categories, after more than 400 entries were submitted.
“Year on year, we see higher and higher quality entries,” Ms Swaine says.
“It is very clear entrants are working hard on their applications, so I would like to congratulate this year’s finalists and also thank everyone who entered.”
Finalists will undergo interviews with judges before winners are announced.
“Finalists will also have the opportunity to participate in the masterclass to assist them to make the most of being a finalist, ahead of the much-anticipated awards gala in November,” Ms Swaine says.
She says the awards are made possible through the volunteer awards committee, the panel of judges and via the financial support of sponsors.
“I would also like to acknowledge the committee members who are also volunteers and who contribute around 100 volunteer hours a month to deliver the awards year after year.”
Awards judging chair Bruce Williams says the judges are successful businesspeople who volunteer their time to read through the entries and participate in the interview process for finalists.
“Each judge has read over 20 applications, which means the judges have read about 110,000 words each,” he says.
“Combined, that is more than 2.8 million words read, or like reading all seven Harry Potter novels 2.6 times. So, it is a lot of work.”
The celebratory gala event announcing the winners will be held on November 11 at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre.
The Business of the Year winner is chosen from the winners of the categories. Hall of Fame Awards are awarded to those who have won their category three years in a row.
For a full list of the 2023 Sunshine Coast Business Awards, see our coverage of the story on our sister site: sunshinecoastnews.com.au.
About the awards
As the longest-established accolades of their kind, the Sunshine Coast Business Awards have been celebrating excellence since 1995. The awards recognise the many impressive business success stories throughout the region. They also provide networking events for the local business community throughout the year. The awards program culminates in the major gala event each November, which is attended by more than 800 people from all corners of our business community.
To find out more about the awards, visit sunshinecoastbusinessawards.com.au.
