| Naming Rights Sponsor and Dates Announced for 2026 Albury Wodonga Business Awards |
Albury Business Connect and the Albury Wodonga Business Awards steering committee are proud to announce that Optus will return as Naming Rights Sponsor for the 2026 Optus Albury Wodonga Business Awards, reaffirming its commitment to recognising and celebrating excellence across the local business community.
Following a record-breaking 2025 program that saw the highest number of entries to date and a sold-out Gala Night, this year’s awards are set to return bigger and better in 2026.
Entries open at 9:00am on Wednesday, 15 April 2026 through awbusinessawards.com.au.
Winners across 17 categories will be announced at the Gala Night on Friday, 7 August 2026, along with the prestigious Hall of Fame inductee and the Most Outstanding Business of the year.
This year introduces two new categories – Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion and Excellence in Innovation – providing even more opportunities for small businesses, emerging entrepreneurs, and community-led initiatives to be recognised for their impact.
This year again sees second-round judging and continuing with the longstanding Business NSW Business Awards alignment, eligible winners in selected categories will have the opportunity to progress to the NSW regional finals.
Matt Connell, General Manager – Southern NSW / ACT, Local Community Engagement, Optus, said: “Optus are very proud to again be the major sponsor of the Optus Albury Wodonga Business Awards and are excited to support Albury Business Connect as an official member. The 2026 Optus Albury Wodonga Business Awards are such an important partnership for us, as we have a strong focus and commitment to support local business. Local business is not only vital to the regional economy, but also for our community, and at Optus, we’re focused on providing support, particularly for businesses across regional Australia.”
Glen Robinson, General Manager, Albury Business Connect, said: “The 2026 Optus Albury Wodonga Business Awards are just around the corner, and we are excited to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our local business community over the past year. An incredible amount of energy is going into this year’s program, and it is shaping up to be a true reflection of the region’s innovation, resilience and growth. We’re proud to announce that Optus is returning as Naming Rights Sponsor, which is a testament to our business communities’ strength and reputation. Regardless of if you are returning or it’s your first time, this is your chance to be recognised for the work you do in our community. I encourage every business within Albury-Wodonga to get involved this year and make your mark leading up to an incredible program”.
Molly & Tom Wescott, Founders of Happy Staffy Co, 2025 Most Outstanding Business Winners, said: “It’s an absolute honour to be recognised as the Most Outstanding Business in Albury Wodonga, especially amongst so many incredible businesses in the region. We started Happy Staffy Co because we believe dogs deserve the best and this reinforces that what we’re doing is resonating with the community we’re so proud to be part of. None of it would be possible without our amazing team, and this award belongs to them just as much as it does to us”.
Businesses and individuals will have until 11.59pm Friday, 22nd May 2026 to enter. Finalists will be announced on Thursday, 2 July 2026 at the Finalist Night Event with winners to be announced at the Gala Night on Friday, 7 August 2026. Event details to be released shortly.
If you’ve achieved outstanding success in business over the last 12 months, you are encouraged to enter this year’s awards. You can also subscribe to receive email updates and follow @aw_businessawards on Instagram and Albury Wodonga Business Awards on Facebook and LinkedIn.