ENTRY GUIDELINES

Eligibility

Whether you are a sole trader or large business, have one employee or 100, you are eligible to enter up to two categories in the 2024 Federation University Commerce Ballarat Business Excellence Awards. You may choose ANY two categories that you feel are most appropriate whether you were nominated in them or not.

These awards cater to businesses located within Ballarat and the surrounding district, excluding the Regional Development Australia Grampians Growers & Producers People’s Choice Award, which is open to businesses in the RDA Grampians region.

How to Enter

Please note: emailed applications will not be accepted

Complete the entry form and attach to the front of both copies of your application (see No.7).
Address each of the questions in the general questionnaire.
Address each of the category-specific questions – for example, the Trade Business Award.
Provide supplementary material. For instance, publicity in the media, customer testimonials, acknowledgement from community groups. Limit this to four pages (in addition to the five pages of your application).
Complete your application on A4-sized paper, printed on one side only. Final applications should not exceed 11 pages:
- Entry form (one page)
- Business Summary (one page)
- General and category-specific questions (five pages)
- Supplementary material (four pages)
Staple the entry form to the top left-hand corner. (Do not bind your application or place it in a presentation folder).
Provide two copies of your application per category with a signed entry form attached to each.
Ensure the font in your application is either Calibri or Arial minimum size 11.
Post or deliver your entry to:
Commerce Ballarat
“Business Awards Application”
119 Lydiard St Nth
Ballarat VIC 3350

N.B: Retain a copy of your entry for future reference as all entries will be destroyed after judging.

Download Sample Application (note: 2024 application may vary)

Special “Early Bird” Competition!

Submit your application by 5pm Tuesday 4 June 2024 for your chance to win a $1000 print advertising package donated by Ballarat Times News Group.

Application Information Sessions

Need help with your application? Attend a free application information session! The sessions will include assistance in addressing the criteria and information on what the judges will be looking for (Please note that these sessions are all the same and you will only need to attend one).

Tuesday 30 April 2024 (2pm-3pm)
Commerce Ballarat, 119 Lydiard St Nth
Thursday 9 May 2024 (10am-11am)
Commerce Ballarat, 119 Lydiard St Nth
Wednesday 15 May 2024 (5.45pm-6.45pm)
Commerce Ballarat, 119 Lydiard St Nth

Application Mentoring Sessions

Limited numbers of one-hour one-on-one application mentoring sessions will be offered as an opportunity to receive feedback on your completed application prior to its submission.

To book a place in an application information session or application mentoring session, email rsvp@commerceballarat.com.au or phone 5333 3233. Registrations for both sessions are essential.

It is important to note that 82% of the 2023 finalists had either attended an application information session, participated in a one-on-one mentoring session or had entered previously.

Questions

For further information or assistance with your application, phone Commerce Ballarat on 5333 3233.

FILLABLE APPLICATION FORMS

To download a fillable Microsoft Word application form document click on the text or image tile relating to the category you wish to apply, this will open a new tab, follow the instructions to save this file to your computer to allow for editing (if this does not occur please check your pop-up blocker settings). Ensure you read all information provided on the first two pages.

Please note: Emailed applications will not be accepted.