Business Awards Update - Gunnedah to Return in 2026

The Gunnedah Gala Business Awards is a cherished celebration of our local business community - highlighting innovation, excellence, and the people behind the progress.

As many of you know, the Chamber recently invited community input via a public survey to help guide the direction of the 2025 Awards. We were genuinely heartened by the responses, with dozens of local business owners, community members, and supporters sharing their thoughts.

Through this feedback, it became clear that while there’s enthusiasm for the Awards and their impact, there’s also a shared recognition of the effort and resources required to deliver them at the standard our community deserves. As a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation, the Chamber is committed to sustainability, and it’s with this lens that a decision has been made.

The Gunnedah Business Awards will move to a biennial schedule, returning in 2026.

This decision allows us to:

• Respect the workload already undertaken by our small but passionate volunteer committee this year

• Preserve the quality, impact, and experience that the Business Awards are known for

• Allocate time to deepen engagement, secure resources, and ensure long-term success

We want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Your feedback was thoughtful, encouraging, and honest - and it has helped shape this direction.

Over the coming days, we will be publishing content to promote, support and encourage our local community to still enter the Business Awards for 2025 via regional entries with Business NSW. The regional business awards entries are open until July 7 with the event taking place Friday 19 September in Armidale.

Importantly, we were inspired to see several respondents raise their hands to volunteer, sponsor, or support the next iteration of the Business Awards. We’ll be reaching out in the coming months to begin early planning for 2026 - because the success of this event is only ever possible with the help of our local business community.

In the meantime, the Chamber will continue to advocate, connect, and celebrate local business through our ongoing events, partnerships, and community campaigns.

We look forward to making the 2026 Business Awards one to remember - with even more time to plan, collaborate, and shine a spotlight on the best of Gunnedah.

With appreciation,

The Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce Committee