How our awards work - Building Communities
Building Communities category
The strength of a nation can be measured by the harmony of its communities. This category is for small and medium-sized businesses making a positive impact in their communities.
Who can apply in this category?
If you’re fulfilling one or more of the following category examples, consider nominating and entering your business for this Award.
Community cohesion
For businesses actively enhancing community cohesion by supporting Australia’s most vulnerable citizens.
Care and education
For businesses whose day-to-day operations include providing care and education in a way that helps the community thrive.
Celebrating diversity
For businesses who fight for, embrace and promote the community’s cultures to create a welcome and more inclusive environment.
Cultural preservation
For businesses that preserve and promote awareness of our multicultural society in a way that benefits the whole community.
Training and access
For businesses built around educating and training people in the interests of better social cohesion.
Evolve Communities
2024 National Building Communities Winner
Led by Co-Directors Carla Rogers and Aunty Munya Andrews, Evolve Communities is a trusted provider of cultural awareness training and allyship accreditation.
Whether in person or online, Evolve Communities core programs are facilitated by an Indigenous and non-Indigenous team, modelling allyship.
Accessible Homes Australia
2024 QLD Winner
Accessible Homes Australia (AHA) is an NDIS-registered Specialist Disability Accommodation provider with a mission to create high quality, accessible homes.
Founded by Perry Cross AM, a ventilated quadriplegic who intimately understands the significance of accessible housing, AHA brings together a wealth of experience and commitment to delivering exceptional housing.
Manapan Furniture
2024 NT Winner
An Indigenous owned organisation, Manapan produces bespoke, high-end furniture pieces from the remote island of Milingimbi just off the north coast of mainland Australia.
The core mission of Manapan is to empower the Yolngu nation of Milingimbi by providing job opportunities through the production of its range of high-end giftware, furniture and office furnishings.
Chat Well Allied Health
2024 SA Winner
Chat Well Allied Health is a paediatric allied health clinic dedicated to providing high-quality services that empower children and their families.
The warm and welcoming team embodies a neurodiversity-affirming approach within their practice to support children with a range of diagnoses including autism, intellectual disability, developmental delay and more.
Eligibility criteria
To enter, the following eligibility criteria must be met. Each category also has specific requirements. If you have any questions about these conditions, please contact us.
- Reside in Australia
- Have a registered Australian Business Number (ABN)
- Have been operating in Australia for at least 12 months at the time you submit your Stage 1 entry
- Be more than 60 percent Australian-owned, with the owner(s)/founder(s) responsible for making the key management decisions
- Be a small-to-medium business that’s a sole trader, partnership, incorporated, NFP, social enterprise or franchise whose franchisor is 60 percent Australian owned and not a listed company
- Earn more than $50,000 in annual revenue
- Have under 200 full-time equivalent staff at the time you submit your Stage 1 entry
- Operate in an ethical manner with suppliers, distributors and contractors
- Supply financials when requested. All financials will remain confidential and will not be shared or used outside the purposes of judging the business’ performance, success and viability.
- Be a listed company, franchisor, a club, co-operative, or a Telstra licensee
- Be affiliated with Telstra through investments, donation or reselling
- Be more than 50 percent owned by another business
- Be a government agency
- Have filed for bankruptcy in the prior 5 years or been subject to court proceedings in the prior 12 months – including in the business owner or founder’s personal capacity – at the time you submit your Stage 1 entry
- Be a recipient of significant ongoing government funding (excluding temporary government relief or support packages, such as Jobkeeper or disaster recovery)
- Have been a contracted commercial supplier of Telstra in the last 3 years
- Enter the same category where the business has previously won at State or National level at the Telstra Best of the Business Awards in the past 3 years
- Have a staff member that has applied and/or have a staff member that has been a State or National judge in the Telstra Best of Business Awards for any category in the past 3 years
- Enter the awards if a staff member or owner has applied to be a judge in the same awards program year.
Our 2024 program dates
Click below for details on category information, selection criteria and eligibility.
National Experience
26 to 28 November 2024
An exclusive 3 day event filled with networking and celebration, all cumulating with the glitz and glamour of the National Gala dinner.
National Gala Dinner
28 November 2024
The pinnacle event of the Telstra Best of Business Awards. An unforgettable evening full of glitz and glamour. It's where we reveal all our National Winners along with the Business of the Year.
Nominations open
All year round
We accept nominations all year round. If you know an exceptional business moving Australia forward, nominate them for the next program.
Have a question?
Find answers to your frequently asked questions.
Contact us
Speak with our Awards Team and call 1800 AWARDS Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm (AEDT).