Last year, the Awards for Excellence set new records for submissions and gala dinner ticket sales. This year, as the program presents new and refreshed award categories, Consult Australia’s Head of Engagement Linda Gaunt has an invitation for the industry: “It’s your time to shine.”

Consult Australia’s Awards for Excellence was launched in 1968 and since then has enjoyed a steady upward trajectory. After a two-year Covid-induced hiatus, “everyone wanted to be involved” in the 2023-24 awards program, Linda says. 

“Submissions last year doubled and there was a waitlist for the gala dinner. More than 350 people came together to celebrate. We were sitting on each other’s laps, but it was a wonderful night.”

The awards program now features 10 category awards, as well as accolades for small, medium and large Firm of the Year, Future Leader, Champions of Change – Diversity and Inclusion and the Consult Australia President’s Award. 

Consult Australia has reviewed the award categories, adjusted some categories and added a new one: Collaboration for Project Excellence – Working with Government. This recognises exemplary project team collaboration initiatives between a government and client.

The Champions of Change category has expanded beyond female leadership, and now rewards broader diversity and inclusion efforts. This is an “important evolution” that reflects the direction of best practice in the industry, Linda notes.

The assessment criteria for the Innovation for Excellence award has been sharpened, while the former Technological Innovation category is now called Planning for a Digital Future to honour outstanding leadership from companies that are embracing digital disruption.

The Small Business Excellence – Client Satisfaction award, which recognises Consult Australia member firms with less than 20 full time employees, is now focused on client outcomes. There are no submission fees associated with this category.

“We are really excited about the refreshed program, which comes after careful consultation with our members and the broader industry,” Linda says.

The awards are open to members and non-members because we want to celebrate best practice across the whole industry.” Members do, however, benefit from a significant discount on submission fees.

Each year, Consult Australia also awards a small, medium and large Firm of the Year, based on the three firms with the highest score from the judges across all award categories. Companies that win this award more than three years in a row are placed in the prestigious Hall of Fame.

“We are proud of the winners and continually look for ways to showcase their leadership.” (Check out our articles in Consulting Matters on Small Firm of the Year Geotron, Medium Firm of the Year Umwelt and, in this issue, Large Firm of the Year Jacobs.)

Consult Australia’s judges have been selected and are ready to roll up their sleeves. 

“We look for a mix of academic and technical expertise, as well as senior and future leaders, to ensure we get a breadth of perspectives. The judging panel evolves each year, with two judges from the previous year providing experience and two new judges providing an extra shot of enthusiasm.”

Submissions are open until Monday 11 December 2023. “We’ve given people two  weeks longer to get their submissions in, and our awards platform gets easier to use each year. There are no excuses!”

Get set to cheer on your company and celebrate your industry on Thursday 14 March 2024, when the Consult Australia Awards for Excellence GalaDinner is held at the ICC Sydney. Book your ticket or table today.