The City of Whittlesea business awards promotes local business entrepreneurs, innovators and operators and highlights business achievements across key industry sectors. It is an opportunity for businesses of all types and sizes to be recognised for their efforts, commitment and successes.
The awards are open exclusively for our business network members.
The City of Whittlesea Business Awards celebrate the achievements of the diverse businesses that drive our local economy. These awards highlight the success of entrepreneurs, innovators, and business operators across key industry sectors, showcasing their dedication and impact.
This is an opportunity for businesses of all types and sizes to gain well-deserved recognition for their hard work, commitment, and success.
Congratulations to our 2025 Business Awards finalists
Celebrating new businesses transforming industries with innovation and growth. Our 2025 finalists are:
Celebrating businesses that go above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer care. Our 2025 finalists are:
Recognising businesses driving progress with creative ideas and bold initiatives. Our 2025 finalists are:
Honouring businesses leading the way in sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. Our 2025 finalists are:
Showcasing businesses making a real difference in our local community. Our 2025 finalists are:
Highlighting businesses championing inclusion, equity, and diverse workplaces. Our 2025 finalists are:
Recognising, home-based business, sole traders and small teams thriving with big ambitions. Our 2025 finalists are:
2025 Award categories
Are you a new business that’s making waves with a fresh idea, a ground-breaking product, or a unique business model? Is your entrepreneurial journey marked by rapid growth, creative problem-solving, and a passion to disrupt the market?
This category celebrates the bold spirit of start-ups that dare to dream big and make a difference. Whether you’re transforming an industry, filling a gap in the market, or delivering exceptional value to your customers, we want to hear your story. This is your chance to showcase your innovation, growth, and potential as a newcomer in the business world.
Customer Service: Do you go above and beyond to create memorable experiences for your customers? Is your team dedicated to providing attentive, reliable, and responsive service?
Customer service is the heart of every successful business. It’s where trust is built, relationships are strengthened, and loyalty is earned. This category celebrates businesses that excel in delivering outstanding customer care, from quick response times to resolving issues efficiently and creating innovative ways to enhance the customer experience.
Is your business breaking new ground with creative solutions, cutting-edge ideas, or unique ways of doing things? Are you driving change and leading the way in your industry with a spirit of innovation and a bold entrepreneurial mindset?
Innovation is the engine that propels businesses forward, enabling them to adapt, grow, and thrive in a competitive world. This category celebrates businesses that aren't afraid to think outside the box, solve problems in inventive ways, and bring fresh ideas to life. Whether it's through new products, ground-breaking services, or streamlined processes, we want to hear about the innovations that set your business apart.
Is your business making strides towards a more sustainable world? Do you prioritise eco-friendly practices, reduce waste, conserve resources, or engage the community in environmental initiatives?
This category recognises businesses that are paving the way in environmental stewardship. Whether you're innovating to lower your carbon footprint, embracing sustainable sourcing, or leading by example in your community, your efforts matter! Sustainability isn’t just a goal; it’s essential to the future of our community, our local economy, and our planet.
Is your business making a positive impact in our local community? Do you prioritise hiring local people, collaborate with fellow businesses, or support local causes through donations or volunteer work? Supporting the local community is more than just good business—it's about strengthening the fabric of our local economy and creating a thriving, connected, and resilient community.
This category celebrates businesses that go above and beyond to make a difference, whether through providing local jobs, partnering with other businesses, or leading community initiatives that have a lasting impact.
Is your business leading the way in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace? Do you take pride in creating opportunities for people from all priority groups, jobseekers or the LGBTQIA+ community? A diverse and inclusive workplace strengthens not only individual businesses but the entire community. Embracing diversity means embracing new perspectives, fostering innovation, and creating a fairer and more equitable society for all. This category recognizes businesses that are committed to supporting diversity within their workforce and engaging with the wider community through meaningful partnerships and initiatives.
Are you running a thriving business from the comfort of your home or a small business with up to five employees? This award celebrates sole traders and registered businesses with up to five employees whose primary workplace is the owner’s home, co-working space, mobile operator or commercial premises.
The Small Business Award shines a spotlight on those who have turned the challenges of working from home or in a small business into opportunities for excellence.
Showcase your success in the areas of Customer Service, Innovation and Enterprise, Sustainability and Environment, Community Contribution, and Workplace Diversity.
Nominations closed
Nominations for the 2025 City of Whittlesea Business Awards have closed.
Winners will be celebrated at the Awards Evening on Thursday 29 May, at Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre.
Key dates
- Entries open: 9 am 3 Feb 2025
- Entries close: 5pm 7 March 2025
- Finalists announced: 1 April 2025
- Tickets on sale: 14 April 2025 to 20 May 2025
- Award evening: 6.30 pm Thursday 29 May 2025
Contact
If you need assistance with the nomination, contact business@whittlesea.vic.gov.au
The 2024 City of Whittlesea Business Awards Night was a celebration of innovation, creativity, and excellence within our local business community. Among the winners were a diverse range of businesses, each making significant contributions to the economic prosperity of our vibrant municipality.
Congratulations Mantra Epping Melbourne, recipient of the coveted Business of the Year award. Mantra’s commitment to customer service and loyalty, coupled with their innovative approach to continuous improvement, set them apart as an exemplary model of success and we are proud to name them as City of Whittlesea's Business of the Year.
From left to right - Craig Lloyd CEO - City of Whittlesea, Alexandra Byrnes – Mantra, Heizl Bracero – Mantra, Jelena Milenkovic - Mantra, Anna Berezovski - Mantra, Bryan Dennis - Mantra, Chair Administrator Lydia Wilson - City of Whittlesea, Prajana Rana - Mantra, Sasikarn Khongnimit - Mantra, Vesna Emsovski - Mantra, Tayla Orders - Mantra, Nish Polu - Mantra
Watch the 2024 awards night video for highlights from this special event
2024 finalists and winners
Celebrating new businesses transforming industries with innovation and growth. Our 2025 finalists are:
Celebrating businesses that go above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer care. Our 2025 finalists are:
Recognising businesses driving progress with creative ideas and bold initiatives. Our 2025 finalists are:
Honouring businesses leading the way in sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. Our 2025 finalists are:
Showcasing businesses making a real difference in our local community. Our 2025 finalists are:
Highlighting businesses championing inclusion, equity, and diverse workplaces. Our 2025 finalists are:
Recognising, home-based business, sole traders and small teams thriving with big ambitions. Our 2025 finalists are:
2024 award categories
Are you a new business that’s making waves with a fresh idea, a ground-breaking product, or a unique business model? Is your entrepreneurial journey marked by rapid growth, creative problem-solving, and a passion to disrupt the market?
This category celebrates the bold spirit of start-ups that dare to dream big and make a difference. Whether you’re transforming an industry, filling a gap in the market, or delivering exceptional value to your customers, we want to hear your story. This is your chance to showcase your innovation, growth, and potential as a newcomer in the business world.
Love your customers? Tell us how your business has delivered customer service excellence over the past year. Customers are vital for any successful business, and we know you all have different ways of ensuring your customers keep coming back. Tell us how you excel in customer service. The judging panel will assess your entry based on:
- how you engage with your customers
- systems and procedures to receive and record customer feedback and satisfaction, such as an external feedback provider or in-house
- your customer service policy or charter
- your customer ratings through feedback i.e. Trip Advisor, Trustpilot, Net Promoter Score and in-house data collection tools
- customer testimonials.
Businesses must evolve to stay relevant in the market. Has your business launched a new product or service, entered a new market, or introduced a new way of working in the past year? Tell us how you have demonstrated innovation and enterprise and why your business should win this award. The judging panel will assess your entry based on:
- examples of new products you have launched
- examples of new services you have introduced
- examples of new ways of working you have adopted
- how these new products or services improve your business performance
- how these new products or services enhance the customer experience
- how the business arrived at the design and implementation of the product, service, or way of working.
Has your business made improvements in the past year to ensure it can achieve a sustainable future? Tell us how your business reduces the impact on the environment within its operations and why it should win this award. The judging panel will assess your entry based on:
- strategies and activities clearly showing your business has developed and embraced becoming sustainable
- how your business includes the circular economy within its operation
- examples of day-to-day methods that reduce the impact on the environment
- plans that pave the way for further sustainable policies
- examples of how your business has implemented operational changes to include environmentally friendly practices
- how initiatives have created new roles within your business that are directly connected to sustainability and the circular economy.
Local communities are strengthened by an active business community and we want to award a business that has made a positive impact on the local community this year. How does your business contribute to the local community? The judging panel will assess your entry based on:
- the work your business has done with the community and how that has benefited the municipality
- percentage of local City of Whittlesea residents within your workforce
- how your business supports or works in partnership with other businesses within the City of Whittlesea.
The City of Whittlesea is a diverse area that is home to people from many ages, abilities, backgrounds, genders and beliefs. How does your business represent, embrace or foster such a diverse community? Tell us how your business exemplifies workplace diversity. The judging panel will assess your entry based on:
- a breakdown of your workforce's genders, abilities, nationalities, education, sexual orientation and background
- initiatives that make your workplace attractive to people from CALD and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- your workforce training programs, with examples of activities you have carried out with training and placement providers to engage different types of jobseekers
- how you work with local education providers to support your workforce through training and development
- your workplace diversity policy and how this is implemented in your day-to-day operations.
The home-based business award is open to any registered business with up to three employees and whose primary place of work is in the business owner’s home. This award recognises individuals and businesses that have not only embraced the unique challenges of operating from home but have also excelled in various aspects of a business. This includes innovation, community contribution, customer service, sustainability and diversity. Drawing on the main award categories tell us why your business should win this award. The judging panel will assess your entry based on:
- customer service initiatives that ensure customers are at the centre of all business engagements
- innovation and enterprise where new products, services or ways of working have impacted customer service delivery and/or business performance
- sustainability and environment where you have initiatives in place demonstrating your commitment to a sustainable environment
- community contribution showing the work your business has done with the community and how that has benefited the residents of the City of Whittlesea
- diversity where your home-based business has practices that represent, embrace or foster the diversity of the City of Whittlesea community.
Download our terms and condition of entry(PDF, 351KB)
Photo Gallery
See more Business Award 2024 action in the photo gallery
A look back at the 2023 Business Awards
In it's first year, the City of Whittlesea Business Awards was a huge success. Held on 18 May 2023, at Mantra Epping, the evening was attended by 180 guests with 30 businesses shortlisted across six categories. It was a great opportunity to recognise the importance of our local business community and reward those businesses who show excellence in their field.
The inaugural Business of the Year Award went to Repurpose It.
From left to right - George Hatzimanolis MD, Erin Ford, Aristos Karavias GM,Tanya Hall and John McCluskey from Repurpose It.
Watch the 2023 awards night video for highlights from this special event.
Photo Gallery
See more Business Award 2023 action in the photo gallery
2023 finalists and winners
Winner: Brewer Sisters
Finalists
- Dahlia & Thyme Studio Florals
- Lady Sevin Cafe
- Zest Property Partners
- Beauty By Dua
Winner: Ristic Real Estate
Finalists
- Quest Epping
- King of Paws
- Farm Vigano
- Stafford Engineering
Winner: Whittlesea Community Connections
Innovation & Enterprise Finalists
- Mantra Epping
- Social Living
- Enterprise Tooling
- IntelliTrac
Winner: Repurpose It
Finalists
- Hanson Landfill Services
- That's Amore Cheese
- Social Living
- Eco Green Group
Winner: LINK Community and Transport
Finalists
- Whittlesea Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates
- A Grade Resumes
- Amy Bajada
- Brotherhood St Laurence
Winner: Costa Mushrooms Exchange
Finalists
- Abruzzo Lab
- Floridia Cheese
- Edlyn Foods
- Whittlesea Community Connections