Entries have officially opened to the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards – a prestigious and comprehensive programme that celebrates female small business owners from across the country.
This year marks the third consecutive year of the Awards, which spotlight the achievements of some of the nation’s most inspiring women in small business.
Including tourism and hospitality, the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is fantastically diverse in terms of the breadth of represented industries.
The Awards features a total of more than 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 – online entry to the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is FREE and will remain open until 5pm (AEST) on Wednesday 26 June 2024.
According to Australian Government data, female small business owners currently represent more than one-third of all small businesses; and recently released research from Commonwealth Bank suggests more and more Australian women are choosing to start a small business or side hustle, with women opening up 43.2 per cent of all new business transaction accounts during the 2023 financial year.
“We’re in the midst of an age of female entrepreneurial empowerment,” says Steve Loe, Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards.
“Despite the current high cost of living and myriad challenges associated with small business ownership at present, Australian women are simply powering through and showing incredible resilience and drive across all industries of the small business 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.
“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.
“Perhaps there are elements in the double-X chromosome that gives female leaders a special ‘oomph’, or perhaps it’s lived experience, but whatever the reason, small businesswomen today are shining and ought to be recognised for overcoming still-existing distinct trials to reach such inspirational success,” adds Mr Loe.
An independent national survey commissioned by Precedent Productions found that almost half (47 per cent) of all small business owners still feel that it is harder for women to succeed in small business today for reasons including the gender financing gap, the ongoing existence of stereotypes in the workforce and balancing home and work life.
“From regional and rural areas to the suburbs and capital cities, female small business operators from all parts of the country are encouraged to enter the Awards – free of charge – as we strive to celebrate the women behind the small businesses that contribute so significantly to our national economy and help to shape their local communities in so many meaningful ways,” says Mr 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 Sydney’s The Star.
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