Business Excellence Awards

We are currently inviting Expressions of Interest from businesses and organisations to sponsor the 2025 City of Melton Business Excellence Awards (MBEA).

As a sponsor you showcase your support for our thriving local businesses and raise your profile in the City of Melton and our community. Sponsors will receive prominent exposure throughout the Awards campaign. The level of visibility and benefits, such as logo placement and coverage, will vary based on the sponsorship tier chosen.

Please contact: venturemelton@melton.vic.gov.au to request a copy of our sponsorship prospectus and to discuss available packages.

Sponsorship opportunities are open to businesses from all industries, that contribute to the City of Melton’s economy and our communities. All EOIs will be subject to review and approval processes and a conflict-of-interest assessment, including specific aspects relating to the awards program and the judging process in particular.

Please note that sponsorship places are limited, and all submissions will be assessed to ensure alignment with the objectives of the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards.

Please be aware that sponsors are not eligible to enter the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards.

Melton Business Excellence Award for Health, Wellness and Care 
The Health, Wellness and Care category recognises businesses that provide excellence in health and allied health services. An applicant’s business should function in health care by providing an aspect or range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic, and direct patient care and support services. Examples include businesses that specialise in medicine and/or operate in health as an audiologist, dietitian, exercise physiologist, nutritionist, occupational therapist, optometrist, physiotherapist, podiatrist, psychologist, speech pathologist and/or provide other similar or related professional health services. This award recognises innovators from any wellness sector – spa, fitness, nutrition, workplace wellness, integrative medicine, and preventive health. 

Melton Business Excellence Award for Professional Services 
Designed to recognise professional services offering B2C/B2B solutions and customised, knowledge-based services. Some example businesses include those operating in legal services, real estate, accounting and financial advisory, architecture, engineering, information technology and consulting. Applicants for this category should have an established business and strong client base.

Melton Business Excellence Award for Visitation and Hospitality 
Recognises hospitality businesses that offer food and beverage services to the public including accommodation, restaurants, and cafes. To enter this award category, you will have demonstrated success: in consistently delivering high quality food and beverage experiences, excellent customer service and maintaining a consistent quality and standard in food service in an enjoyable, clean, and comfortable atmosphere. You can show how you have adopted innovative marketing strategies to reach existing markets and attract new customers and maintain sustainable food practices. 

Melton Business Excellence Award for Retail Services 
This award recognises exceptional businesses in the retail sector that have demonstrated excellence in customer service, innovation, and overall contribution to their respective field. Nominees in this category should showcase their ability to deliver outstanding shopping experiences, adapt to market trends, and maintain a strong commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Whether through brick-and-mortar stores or online platforms, these businesses set the standard for retail excellence.

Melton Business Excellence Award for Industry and Trade Services 
The Industry and Trade Services Award recognises exceptional businesses and professionals in the industrial and trade sectors who demonstrate outstanding service, innovation, and contribution to their respective fields. This award celebrates those who have shown excellence in areas such as manufacturing, construction, logistics, engineering, and other trade services.

Recipients of this award are leaders who have not only achieved significant business success but have also contributed to the growth and development of their industry, setting benchmarks for quality, efficiency, and sustainability.

Melton Business Excellence Award for Sustainability Excellence 
Open to all businesses, this award will recognise best practice related to a specific product and/or processes and procedures. Entries will demonstrate how this practice minimises impact on the environment and/or delivers environmental benefits. You should detail how the objectives of sustainability for the product/process were identified and the ways in which these were met. Provide measurable outcomes and details of how the product will meet future sustainability goals.

Melton Business Excellence Award for Disability Inclusion Initiative 
Open to all businesses, specific Disability Inclusion initiatives can raise the profile of one or more of these values and demonstrate how a company’s ethos has a bearing in the workplace and beyond. What specific initiative has your business introduced that has promoted these principles, and how have they been given prominence? How has your business gone ‘Above and beyond’ from standard requirements to ensure these principles have been implemented?   For what reason/s did you decide that this initiative was needed? Explain the originality of your ideas, how your plans were executed and what bottom-up response was taken into consideration? Lastly, give details of the impact of this initiative and of the feedback that has been received.

Melton Business Excellence Award for Workplace Engagement 
The Workplace Engagement award honours businesses in the City of Melton that actively foster a positive, diverse and inclusive environment for their workforce, creating a culture of respect and inclusivity. This award recognises organisations that:

• Welcome, embrace and showcase a diverse workforce in terms of gender, abilities, nationalities, and backgrounds.
• Offer workforce training and partner with providers to engage diverse jobseekers.
• Collaborate with local education providers for employee development.
• Uphold a workplace diversity policy integrated into daily operations.
• Implement a range of measures that aim to improve employee engagement and retention. 
    

Melton Business Excellence Award for Emerging Leadership
This award recognises businesses that demonstrate a strong commitment to developing emerging leaders and fostering professional growth within their workforce. These organisations invest in their people by creating clear pathways for career progression, offering mentoring, training, and leadership development programs, and promoting a culture that values continuous learning and growth.

By empowering their teams and nurturing future leaders, these businesses play a vital role in building a skilled, motivated, and forward-thinking workforce equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

The following awards will also be awarded at the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards Evening. Winners are chosen from category finalists and winners by the independent judging panel. 

Mayoral Achievement Award
The Mayoral Award is judged across all Melton Business Excellence Awards 2025 finalists and recognises outstanding performance in the judging criteria for their nominated category.

Business of the Year Award
Open to businesses across all sectors that demonstrate high delivery and achievement in three or more of the above award categories.

1. Application
   Online applications open: 12 noon, Monday 12 May 2025.  The application consists of a series of questions that allows the business to present and explain its operations.
   
   

   APPLY NOW! 
   Applications close: 5pm, Thursday 10 July

2. Judging
   Independent and experienced business professionals review all applications within a category. The Judges will rank the applications based on the level of detail and quality of information contained within the application and determine a maximum of three category finalists.
     
3. Finalist Announcement
   Category Finalists will be contacted, and announcements made in mid July 2025. 
     
4. Site-Inspection/interview
   The judges will contact finalists and schedule a meeting at the finalist’s premises to interview a representative of that organisation and undertake a brief tour of the operations to validate the responses provided in the application. Site visits will take place in late July/early August. 
     
5. Finalist Video
   All finalists will receive a professionally recorded video interview, which includes a feature on their business profile. These videos will be showcased during the Awards Night prior to the announcement of the category winner. Filming will take place in late July/early August. 
     
6. Category winner declared
   The judges determine which finalist warrants the award for the category.  All winners are announced at the Awards Night to be held on Wednesday 10 September 2025. 
     
7. Business of the year winner declared
   The judging panel will determine an overall winner for the Business of the Year Award based on its assessment of the application and site visit of every finalist. The judge’s decisions on category winners and business of the year winner are announced at the Awards Night to be held on Wednesday 10 September. 
     
8. Feedback
   All businesses who complete an application will receive formal feedback from the judges which will assist to identify potential business improvements. 
   
   All applicants will also receive personal contact from Council’s Economic Development team with an opportunity to participate in business support programs such as mentoring, training and the Venture Melton Business Network.

1. By participating in Melton City Council’s (Council) 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards (MBEA), the Applicant agrees to these Terms and Conditions.

2. Entries are open from 12:00pm on 12 May 2025 and close at 05:00pm on Thursday 10 July 2025.

3. All entries must meet the following eligibility criteria:
a. Be the owner or authorised representative of a business which is based and operating within the City of Melton.
b. Have a current registration with the Australian Business Register within the City of Melton; or
c. For businesses registered outside of the City of Melton, the business must have a current business presence in the City of Melton. This may include satellite office, factory, warehouse, shop, retail outlet, other commercial premises.
d. Hold all appropriate permits, licences and approvals, including but not limited to building, planning and health permits.
e. Not be in the subject of any regulatory, legislative, investigative or compliance process as it relates to the Business.
f. Have no outstanding debts owed to Council at the time of application.
g. Be available to attend: i. the finalist judging site visits between 28 July 2025 and 8 July 2024; and ii. finalist video site visits between 4 August 2025 to 15 August 2025; and iii. the Melton Business Excellence Awards night on Wednesday 10 September 2025.

4. All evidence and examples provided as part of the applications, must be for the period between January 2024 and May 2025. Any evidence or examples which is outside of these dates, will not be considered.

5. Sponsors of the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards are not eligible to enter.

6. Suppliers of goods and or/services to the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards, are not eligible to enter.

7. Finalists may be required to produce evidence of eligibility, which may include business registration, address, details of presence in the City of Melton.

8. Businesses which are owned by employees of Melton City Council or their immediate family members are not eligible to enter the competition.

9. Businesses which are owned by Councillors of Melton City Council or their immediate family members are not eligible to enter the competition.

10. Businesses in which a person who holds office is an employee or Councillor of Melton City Council, or an immediate family member of an employee or Councillor of Melton City Council are not eligible to enter the competition.

11. Immediate family member for the purpose of the MBEA includes spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, sibling or member of the household of the applicant or any officeholders of the business which is the subject of the application.

12. Only one application per category will be accepted. The only application which will be accepted for judging, will be the first submission received from each business, in each category.

13. Melton City Council also retains the right not to proceed with awards categories due to lack of submissions in a specific category.

14. Council will collect, use and disclose personal information which is provided that is related to the MBEA in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), Council’s Privacy Policy, the MBEA Privacy Statement and these Terms and Conditions.

15. By submitting an application, the applicant acknowledges and agrees that the use of all material by Melton City Council in promoting the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards will not constitute a breach of copyright or confidentiality.

16. Applications and associated documentation will not be returned and will be disposed of in a secure manner. 17.

The entry/entries with the highest total judging score in each category will win.

18. Finalists will be notified by email by 5:00pm on Wednesday 23 July 2025.

19. Finalists will be announced on the Melton City Council webpage, social media, including Facebook, Instagram and e-newsletter.

20. Winners will be announced at the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards night on Wednesday 10 September.

21. Applicants agree to their information being disclosed in relation to the awards and to being involved in publicity as it relates to the awards, including but not limited to sponsors, judges and in Council advertising material.

22. The judge’s and Council’s decision are final, and at the absolute discretion of Council.

23. Council will not enter into any correspondence in relation to the decisions.

24. Melton City Council has no obligation to accept late, lost, or misdirected entries.

25. Melton City Council reserves the absolute right to withdraw an entry if it contains libellous, unlawful, defamatory, or objectional content which may include offensive, inappropriate, objectionable, profane, insulting, inflammatory or defamatory material, or material which may infringe a third party’s intellectual property at Council’s sole discretion.

Privacy Statement
The personal and commercial information requested on this form is being collected by the Melton City Council for the purpose of processing your Application as part of the Melton Business Excellence Awards. You may apply to the Melton City Council for access and/or amendment of the information. Your information will be disclosed as part of Council’s advertising of the Melton Business Excellence Awards which may include on social media, Council’s website, newspaper and other promotional material as determined by Council. This will not include any financial information provided as part of your application. Personal information provided will not be disclosed to any external party without your consent, unless required or authorized by law. Should you fail to provide the information, we may be unable to process your Application for the Melton Business Excellence Awards. For more information, you may contact Council at venturemelton@melton.vic.gov.au.

1. What are the Melton Business Excellence Awards?

   The Melton Business Excellence Awards (MBEA) celebrate excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievements within the Melton business community.

2. Who can enter the Melton Business Excellence Awards?

   Please refer to the Melton Business Excellence Awards Terms and Conditions Tab above for eligibility.

3. How do I apply for the awards?

   Simply complete the application form available on the Melton Business Excellence Awards website. You’ll need to provide information about your business and answer questions specific to the category or categories you choose.

   Applications can only be made via the Awards website, email and paper submissions can not be accepted.

4. When is the Melton Business Excellence Awards Closing Date?

   The Melton Business Excellence Awards applications are due by 5pm, Thursday 10 July.

5. Can I apply for more than one category?
   Yes, businesses are welcome to apply for multiple categories—just be sure to complete a separate application for each category.
     
6. Can I use AI or Chat GPT to assist with my application?
   Yes, you can use AI to help write your application — it can be a great tool for organising your ideas, improving clarity, and checking grammar. However, applications must be the applicant’s own work. AI can be utilised to support the review and refining of responses but should not be used as the only method in preparing your submission.
     
7. Who are the judges?
   The judging panel is made up of independent business experts with proven industry experience. The judging panel will assess all applications fairly and objectively. All judges complete a Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality form prior to judging.

    

8. How do I nominate a business?

   This year, we’re not accepting nominations. If you know a great business, encourage them to apply directly for the 2025 Melton Business Excellence Awards.

9. Can I sponsor the Melton Business Excellence Awards?
   Yes! Expressions of Interest are now open to sponsor the 2025 City of Melton Business Excellence Awards. For a copy of the sponsorship prospectus and to find out more, email us at venturemelton@melton.vic.gov.au

    

10. Can I have help with my application and selecting a category?
    Yes, the Venture Melton team are happy to guide you through the application process and selecting the right category. It’s also a great idea to get your team involved, their input can strengthen the application and highlight different perspectives and achievements.

The Venture Melton team can be contacted at venturemelton@melton.vic.gov.au

A Melton Business Excellence Awards Application workshop will also be available, with more details coming soon.