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Marlborough Business Excellence Awards

The big question: Which category should I enter?

There are 13 categories you can enter your business in.

Our Sector Excellence awards look at what you do: Are you an emerging business, having been in operation for less than three years? Perhaps your manufacturing, construction or distribution practices are world-class, or you might deliver outstanding service to your customers.

Then there’s the Special Category awards, the how you do what you do. This covers everything from digital innovation, continuous improvement, sustainability, customer experience and workplace safety.

Individual Awards
Entrants for Business Person and Young Business Person of the Year will be accepted by way of online nomination on the Chamber’s website, with voting of finalists open to the Marlborough community which will be 50% community voting weighted and 50% judging panel weighted.

All entries into the Emerging and Sector categories will automatically be entered into the Supreme Business Award. This is an overall winner that scores highly in all aspects of the judging criteria and has an x-factor that inspires the Marlborough business community.

New and Emerging Business

This is a business that has started trading within the last 3 years and demonstrate business excellence. The criteria has less emphasis on financials.

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Sector Excellence Awards

Manufacturing and Construction Sector

Industries that manufacture, assemble and process the raw materials into usable goods – Winemaking, Construction, Trades with outstanding products or services.

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Consumer Service Sector

Industries that provide a service to individuals and other businesses/ industries – Transport, Tourism, Hospitality, Retail with outstanding products or services.

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Primary Sector

Industry that extracts raw material from the ground/ ground surface or the sea – Forestry, Farming, Fishing and demonstrate business excellence.

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Professional Service Sector

Industries that provide professional services to individuals and other businesses/ industries – Legal, Finance, Advisory, Engineering with outstanding products or services.

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Innovation

This award is for a business that demonstrates innovative thinking and responds to change. This could be an innovative or inventive approach to people, services, products, processes or business model.

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Special Category Awards

Sustainability

Awarded to the Marlborough business which best epitomises an overall commitment to sustainable development.

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Workplace Wellbeing

Recognising enterprises that have created successful initiatives designed to embed a culture of wellness in their organisation – values and ethics, teamwork, work environment and recognition.

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Youth Employer

Open to any organisation that pro-actively champions young people in the workforce, through their commitment to recruiting, training and retaining young people in the workplace.

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Community Impact

This award recognises a programme, project, campaign or an overall business that has had, or continues to have, a positive impact on the Marlborough community in a way that inspires others and makes a difference.

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Individual Awards

Business Personality of the Year

This award celebrates an extraordinary business person who exhibits qualities that inspire our business community. This person must exhibit an excellent level of business standards and ethics, demonstrate leadership, vision and community involvement, have proven business achievement, and foster awareness of the Marlborough business community through their business dealings.

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Young Business Personality of the Year

This person must be aged 35 and under. This award celebrates an extraordinary young business person who exhibits qualities that inspire our business community. This person must exhibit an excellent level of business standards and ethics, have proven business achievement, and plans for future growth of the business.

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Supreme Business Award

All entries into the Emerging and Sector categories will automatically be entered into the Supreme Business Award. This is an overall winner that scores highly in all aspects of the judging criteria and has an x-factor that inspires the Marlborough business community.

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The judging process

Part One: Site visits

An Independent Facilitator will do all site visits, to ensure consistency and to get a better understanding of your people and your place. At the site visit, they will drill to the detail of your entry form to gain a comprehensive impression of the business.

This interview could take up to two hours and will be booked in prior.

The Independent Facilitator will then mark the businesses and write up constructive feedback for the judges and for you to review after the awards night.

Part Two: Pitch Weekend 

Each entrant will pitch their business to a panel of judges, led by the Independent Facilitator. There will be specialist judges for business practice categories. All our judges are selected for their business skill and knowledge.

You have the opportunity to bring your team and present your pitch in anyway that best showcases your business and puts your case forward for a win.

The entire judging panel consider the finalists and have input into the Supreme Business of the Year Award.

We take your confidentiality seriously:

  • All awards entry documentation and official entry forms are treated as confidential.
  • All judges sign a confidentiality agreement.
  • Judges are required to declare conflicts of interest.
  • Information regarding participation, any awards, or successful strategies may be released only after written approval from the entrant.

Thank you to our 2022 sponsors

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