Business Leader of the Year

Eligibility

• Entrants must work in or operate a registered business within the Whitsunday Regional Council area.
• Businesses must have been operational for at least 12 months as of Monday 4 August 2025, unless entering a category that permits new or emerging businesses.
• Employees, apprentices or trainees must have been working in the business for at least 12 months as of Monday 4 August 2025.
• Entrants must demonstrate ethical business practices and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Sole traders, not-for-profits, and social enterprises are eligible to apply where relevant to category criteria.

Entry Requirements

• All entries must be submitted via the official online nomination form by the published closing time and date of 11:59pm Sunday 7 September 2025. Entries submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
• Entrants can apply to a maximum two award categories but must submit a separate application for each.
• All responses must be truthful and accurate to the best of the entrant’s knowledge.

Judging

• Entries will be assessed by an independent panel of judges appointed by the award program partners.
• Entries that are incomplete, off-topic, or fail to sufficiently address the award criteria may be deemed ineligible and will not be forwarded to judges.
• Judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding outcomes.
• The Judging Panel reserves the right to withdraw any entry if the business or nominee is found to have brought the Awards or award program partners into disrepute.
• The Judging Panel reserves the right to move entries between categories if deemed more appropriate.

Confidentiality

• All information submitted will be treated as confidential and used solely for the purpose of judging.
• Judges and award program administrators are bound by confidentiality agreements.

Promotion & Media

• By entering, finalists and winners agree to have their business name, logo, and images used for promotional purposes related to the Awards.
• Event photography and videography may be used for marketing and reporting purposes by the award program partners.

Costs

• There is no cost to enter the Awards. Finalists are responsible for their own attendance and any associated costs to attend the Awards Event.

To support your application, you can upload up to three (3) supporting files (such as testimonials, reports, visuals, media coverage) and an optional video on why you should win.