Recognising innovation, sustainability and excellence across all industry sectors.
It’s a chance to showcase the excellent work that local businesses do.
Launched in 2022, the awards offer local businesses the opportunity to come together celebrate the wins, inspire and network with other business owners and share achievements with the local community.
Whatever the business size, this is a great opportunity for the Shire to support the local business community and honour the successes.
2023 Business Excellence Awards Results
Over 250 local businesspeople and their supporters came together on Wednesday 15 November for the 2023 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Awards gala ceremony, held at RACV Cape Schanck Resort. The room was filled with anticipation, excitement, and support for the local business community.
Now the results are in!
AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURING
Winner: Lil’s Yolky Dokey Pasture Raised Eggs
Highly Commended: Pearson Foods
CREATIVE INDUSTRY
Winner: Little Woodworkers
Highly Commended: Locked In Escape Rooms, Peninsula Beer Garden
HEALTH AND COMMUNITY
Winner: Your Move Health
Highly Commended: Base Podiatry, Operation Soul Surf, Prestige Inhome Care
HOSPITALITY
Winner: Elements Eatery
Finalists: A Good Little Thing, Commonfolk Coffee Company
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Winner: Sarah’s Domestic Bliss Cleaning
Highly Commended: Mornington Peninsula Funerals, Smart Business Solutions
Finalists: Illumin8, Oraco Agency, PIER Marketing, The Little Brick Studio, Warlimont & Nutt
RETAIL
Winner: Artisan’s Alley
START-UP
Winner: The Cambium
Highly Commended: The Green Bowl
Finalist: Super Hosts
TOURISM
Winner: Moonraker Dolphin Swims
Finalists: Polperro Dolphin Swims and Charter Service, Wild Adventures Melbourne
TRADE, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
Winner: Buchanan Mobile Crane Hire
Highly Commended: Cobbler, Keys & More
Finalist: Indigo Pools
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Winner: Elements Eatery
The Business Excellence Awards gala celebrated innovation, sustainability, and excellence in our local business community. This year’s participating businesses showcased their qualities that contribute to the development of our region through their hard work and passion.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS!
Congratulations to all businesses who entered the awards. The Business Excellence Awards honoured the achievements in innovation, sustainability, and outstanding performance within our local business sector. This year, participating businesses showcased their unique attributes, underscoring their impactful role through dedicated effort and commitment.
The awards encompass nine categories:
Our Awards Sponsors:
Business Awards FAQs
Business owners or employees of the business can submit nominations.
If your businesses is located in the Mornington Peninsula Shire local government area, and was a registered business as at 1 July 2023 you can enter. You also need to have an ABN and all relevant licenses, permits and approvals required to operate your business.
Businesses under administration, in debt to Council, chain stores, franchisor or franchisees, political groups, charities, government agencies, schools, charities that have a primary focus of fundraising, own or operate electronic gaming machines (EGM) or receive funding or in-kind support from EGM venues, are ineligible to enter.
Organisations whose staff and/or business units are directly employed by Mornington Peninsula Shire or government agencies are not eligible to enter the Awards. This includes Councillors.
All food businesses, regardless of category, must be Best Bites accredited.
This mean they must achieve a minimum score of 95% or higher on their annual food safety assessment to be eligible for the awards. This ensures commitment to maintaining high food safety standards.
Business must also demonstrate excellence in at least one of the following areas:
- Health and wellbeing
- Sustainability
- Accessibility and inclusion
By encouraging businesses to excel in these crucial areas, we aim to go beyond basic food safety practices and make a meaningful impact.
For more information, please contact us.
Businesses can only enter one category. Those with diverse offerings should choose the category that reflects them best.
The form gives you a chance to answer three (3) key questions about your business. There is a maximum word count of 1000 words per question. This information is used to determine a shortlist of entrants in each category. Each shortlisted business will receive a site visit from the judges to validate their answers and gain deeper insight into the business.
Business experts drawn from knowledgeable and experienced business people from the Small Business Mentoring Service assess all the entrants, shortlist those for site visit judging.
This panel of judges then determine the finalists and winners in each category.
Each shortlist interview will take around 45 minutes.
Two judges visit your business and complete a detailed assessment across a range of criteria related to the written submission and your business.
There are three main questions that need to be answered:
- Business Excellence: What makes your business stand out from others in your category?
- Business Innovation: What new or creative ideas did you implement to address challenges or leverage opportunities in the last 12 months, and how did they change and improve your business?
- Business Sustainability: How does your business practice environmental sustainability in your category and how did you implement those practices?
Each answer has a 1000 word limit.
Every entrant, regardless of the outcome, receives a submission assessment report.
This is a great tool for benchmarking your application.
Category finalists will receive a certificate and permission to display the “Finalist, 2023 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Awards” on their digital platforms and marketing collateral, as well as being invited to the Awards gala presentation event.
Each category winner will receive a trophy, certificate, and permission to display the “Winner, 2023 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Awards” logo on their digital platforms and marketing collateral.
SPONSOR PRIZES
Category Finalists will each receive a $100 advertising voucher with MP Magazine
Category Winners will each receive a quarter page advert with MP Magazine and a $500 advertising voucher for use in any MP News Group product.
All Finalists and the Winner in the Retail Category will receive an on-air interview with our Media Partner and Category Sponsor 3MP.
In addition to their category prizes Business of the Year will receive an additional quarter page advert with MP Magazine a $2000 advertising voucher for use in any MP News Group product and an on-air interview with our media partner 3MP.
Winners also receive post-event marketing including activities such as media releases, articles on MP Business, social media posts, newsletter inclusions, Peninsula Wide print articles, promotional videos and more. They may also be invited to present at future Shire business events.
The Awards are free to enter.
There is a per person/table ticket cost to attend the Gala ceremony.
Sponsorship are now closed for the 2023 Business Excellence Awards. Please register your interest in sponsoring the next awards by email business@mornpen.vic.gov.au.
Let’s celebrate our Business Awards Winners!
The Awards Gala presentation ceremony was held on 15 November 2023 at the RACV Cape Schanck Resort where businesses celebrate the wins, inspire and network with other business owners.
