ACCI calls for nominations to celebrate Great Southern businesses for 2024 awards

A new biannual tourism award is one of 14 awards open for nominations for the Albany Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Great Southern Business Awards programs.

The annual awards celebrate contributions made by upcoming and leading Great Southern businesses and individuals and their resilience, innovation and adaptability.

Nominations for all 14 categories opened on Friday and will be judged by a panel before finalists are announced on September 13. Awards will be presented at gala dinner on October 12.

The Len Smith Award for outstanding individual in tourism is a new biannual award, sponsored by the City of Albany.

ACCI chief executive Kristen Pyrz-Brown said the new award commemorated the Albany tourism and hospitality community.

She said a submission was made to the City of Albany which then approached the ACCI, which Ms Pyrz-Brown said was “thrilled” to have included to recognise Mr Smith’s services to the Albany community.

Ms Pyrz-Brown is encouraging the community to nominate themselves, a business, or an individual for the 2024 awards.

“I encourage anyone to nominate a business,” she said.

“In Albany and the wider Great Southern area, we’ve got some fantastic people doing excellent things in sustainability, people doing great things in food, and we’ve got Indigenous organisations that are doing great work.

“So anyone who feels that there’s someone worth recognising — go through the nomination process and show your appreciation for the work they’re doing in our community.”

In 2023 Denmark’s The Dam and its associated Cannabis Botanical Distillery swept awards including Business of the Year, the environment and sustainability award, Great Southern Business of the Year, and Young Business Person of the Year.

Nominations for ACCI’s 2024 Business Awards can be made at shorturl.at/9vPPO and close on August 2.