Entries have officially opened for the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards – the third year of celebrating female small business owners from across the country.
From fresh food, bakery, café, restaurant and fast-food business owners to farmers, food manufacturers and those in hospitality, the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is diverse in represented industries – and includes plenty of food-based industries.
The program features 65 small business award categories and four individual categories – Young Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged 30 and younger), Small Business Champion Woman Entrepreneur (aged over 30), Australian Small Business Champion Influential Woman and Australian Small Business Champion Icon.
According to Australian Government data, female small business owners currently represent more than one-third of all small businesses.
Research from Commonwealth Bank suggests more and more Australian women are choosing to start a small business, with women opening up 43.2 per cent of all new business transaction accounts during the 2023 financial year.
An independent national survey commissioned by Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards, found that 47 per cent of all small business owners still feel that it is harder for women to succeed, for reasons including the gender financing gap, the ongoing existence of stereotypes in the workforce, and balancing home and work life.
Precedent Productions managing director, Steve Loe, said that despite the challenges associated with small business ownership, Australian women are showing incredible resilience and drive across all industries of the sector.
“I have been deeply involved in the small business sector for more than four decades now and I can absolutely attest to the fact that a growing number of female-led small businesses are making huge waves across many industries across the nation.
Loe, who founded the Awards program, said that the country was in the midst of an age of female entrepreneurial empowerment.
“Precedent Productions has been running the Australian Small Business Champion Awards since 1999 but especially during the past few years, we’ve noticed a steep rise in the success of female-owned small businesses in particular; so much so that we deemed it appropriate to have a standalone awards programme that showcases and honours the truly impressive work of women in small business,” said Loe.
The 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards shortlisted finalists will be announced from July and will culminate in a National Presentation Evening Gala Event to be held on Saturday 24 August 2024 at The Star in Sydney.
Entry to the awards is free at championawards.com.au/womens and will remain open until 5pm (AEST) on Wednesday 26 June 2024.
