Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
2025 Business of the Year: Bowen Old People’s Home Society (Murroona Gardens)
The Whitsundays has plenty to celebrate, with 46 nominees competing across seven categories in the 2026 Whitsunday Business Awards.
Representing tourism, trades, retail, health, manufacturing, professional services and community organisations, this year’s nominees are:
Business of the Year: Airlie Adventure Tours; Airlie Beach Transfers & Tours; Australian Agave Co.; Belle Property Whitsundays; Bowen Rail Company; Magnums Unique Accommodation; NQ Aerovation; Ocean Rafting.
Business Leader of the Year: Aaron Doherty, Coastal Brush; Emma Whybird, Edge Dance Studio Whitsunday; Hayley Moran, Airlie Health Hub; Stephanie McWhirter, Belle Property Whitsundays; Tenielle Matheson, Wildlife Whitsundays.
Rising Star: Dean Leslie, Australian Agave Co.; Giulian Grasso, Whitsunday Law; Sam Mckay, Hamilton Island Enterprises; Soumya Santosh, Tassal.
Customer Service Excellence: Airlie Beach Tourism; Airlie Beach Transfers & Tours; Airlie Health Hub; Airlie Legal; Ambitious Cakes; Bounce Airlie Beach; Bowen Tourism and Business; Bright Patch Cafe; Coastal Brush; Divine Weddings Whitsundays; Edge Dance Studio Whitsunday; Hog’s Breath Cafe Airlie Beach; Kath Barker, Compass Realty Whitsundays; Mana Skin Body & Soul; Mark Milligan, Pilcher’s Mitre 10; Rolling with Netherpoel; Team Whitsundays Body Corporate Management.
Community Champion: Bowen Community Op Shop; Bowen Flexi Care Inc.; Compass Realty Whitsundays; GRB Mining; Healthy Kids Project; Proserpine Historical Museum Society; Whitsunday Community Services; Whitsunday Counselling & Support; Whitsunday Self Defense Academy; Wildlife Whitsundays; Zero Waste Solutions.
Think Big: Bowen Community Council; GRB Mining; Hidden Valley Whitsundays; Scallywag Fabrication; Tassal.
Hall of Fame: Bowen Tourism and Business; Chloe Bauer; Elizabeth Hackett; Jennifer Rush; Lowcock Builders; Pilcher’s Mitre 10; Rabia Morris; Wayne Singleton; Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre.
Winners will be revealed on Friday 9 October at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre.
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