Award Categories

Check the 21 business categories for the description that best suits your business. Several categories may apply to your business, but you may only enter one category.

Categories

Definitions & Inclusions
Retail
Retail Fashion Clothing retailing, including retail sale of textiles, new or used men's, women's, and children's clothing, footwear, swimwear, jewellery, general clothing and specialised clothing and leather goods.
Retail Beauty Hairdressing and beauty salons and services, including nail care, facials, makeup, skin care, skin products, barber shops, electrolysis service, hair restoration and solariums.
Household & General Retail Furniture, houseware and appliance retailing, floor covering, domestic hardware and housewares, paints and glass and other store-based retailers including chemists, automotive sale and repair, lighting, and other retail operations.
Food & Beverage Retail Retail sale of food, baked goods, beverages and tobacco in supermarkets, grocery stores and food and beverage retailing including beer, wine and spirits.
Specialty Retail & Wholesale Businesses that specialise in a specific product or service, including pets, art galleries, book shops, health foods, etc.
Hospitality
Restaurants Businesses engaged in providing food and beverage serving services for consumption on the premises, where customers generally order and are served while seated and pay after eating.
Small Bars A new category for 2010. Small bars, whose primary function is selling alcoholic beverages, with a capacity 120 patrons or less.
Cafes (casual dining) Businesses engaged in providing food for consumption on the premises and takeaway.
Takeaway Food & Catering Services Businesses engaged principally in providing food services ready to be taken away for immediate consumption or for delivery, and including, juice bars and mobile food vans. Catering services at specified locations or events, including meals and snacks that may be transported and/or prepared on or off the premises as required by the customer.
Pubs, Hotels, Nightclubs & Venues Hotels, bars, clubs or similar businesses engaged in selling alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, or selling alcoholic beverages both for consumption on and off premises.
Tourism
Tourism & Accommodation Tourist attractions, tours, tour operators, incentive operators and guides. Short-term accommodation provided by boutique hotels and 4 and 5 star hotels. Accommodation provided by guest houses, hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation and youth hostels.
Professional Services
Professional, Business & Financial Services Businesses engaged in selling their expertise in professional, scientific and technical services, including scientific research, architecture, engineering, legal, accounting, advertising, management consulting, real estate agents, valuators, property management, market research, marketing, veterinary service, and translation services, event management. Banking, building society, investment services, insurance, financial advisers, asset management, broking, mortgage and finance broking.
Marketing & Communications Marketing, media, merchandising, advertising agencies, consultancies and communications services such as copywriting and publishing.
Information & Communication Technology Businesses providing technologies and services that enable information to be accessed, stored, processed, transformed and disseminated, including transmission and communication of voice, image and data over transmission media.
Other Business Categories
Bicycle Business New category including: Bicycle distributors, retailers, manufacturers, parts or component manufacturers. Bicycle accessory manufacturers or retailers, bicycle organisations and event promoters and related bicycle services providers. Winner awarded a $2000 business coaching prize provide by the City of Sydney.
Education & Training Kindergartens and pre-schools, childcare, adult education, special education, art, music, drama and dance schools and teachers.
Cultural & Creative Services Heritage activities, creative and performing arts companies, theatres, libraries, parks and gardens. Creative businesses including artists and musicians, art companies and theatre groups including not-for-profits.
Community & Social Services Charities, Not-For-Profits, Disability Services and other businesses with a core agenda of benefiting the community. This includes organizations who’s services accommodate any form of disability among staff and customers, organizations with deductible gift recipient status (charities) whose purposes may include the relief of poverty, the relief of the needs of the aged, the relief of sickness or distress, the advancement of religion, the advancement of education, the provision of child care services on a non-profit basis.
Healthcare & Fitness Businesses engaged in healthcare and other medical services, including residential care and social assistance services, pathology and diagnostic imaging, dental, optometry, physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathic services, alternative remedies clinics including massage therapy, Chinese herbal medicine, fitness companies and personal trainers, gyms.
Environmental Business Businesses whose core function is the provision of environmental services, environmental consulting, sale or development of environmental technology or products.
Fair Trade Businesses that demonstrate commitment to the fair trade principles of tackling poverty through trade as evidenced by relationships with suppliers, promotion and marketing of fair trade ideals and business practice ethics.

Highest Recognition Awards

Lord Mayor's Sustainability Award Presented by EnergyAustralia

Judging Criteria
Chosen from among all finalists.The business that demonstrates leadership, innovation, creativity and business strategy in adapting to and planning for sustainable growth and incorporating sustainable business practices.

Winner of the Lord Mayor’s Sustainability Award presented by EnergyAustralia will receive a prize valued at $4000 from EnergyAustralia. See terms and conditions.

Small Business of the Year presented by American Express

Judging Criteria
Chosen by the panel of judges from among all award category winners, and awarded to the small business (with fewer than 20 employees) that best demonstrates outstanding leadership including impact upon the community, evidence of success and sustainability planning.

Business of the Year

Judging Criteria
Chosen by the panel of judges from among all award category winners, and awarded to the business that best demonstrates outstanding leadership including impact upon the community, evidence of success and sustainability planning.

YellowPages Marketing Prize

Judging Criteria
The Finalist that demonstrates the most innovative and successful marketing campaign during the voting phase of the Business Awards will receive a $5000 advertising package provided by YellowPages.