Illawarra Women in Business is looking for this year's outstanding female entrepreneurs, executives and employees for the 2022 IWIB Awards.
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The awards, now in their 14th year, celebrate the achievements of women in the local business community and recognise successful women in business.
This year there are 11 categories of awards, including Best New Business, Best Home Based Business and Outstanding Commitment to the Community, as well as the coveted Business Woman of the Year award.
The award for IWIB champion networker will also be presented on the awards night, with a winner chosen from the IWIB subscriber and member list.
Director of IWIB Glenda Papac said this year's awards are a far cry from how the event began in 2009.
"We started with 2 categories and it was a struggle to get women to enter!"
IWIB will host an awards day on Friday, May 13 at Villa Doro Function Centre. Category winners will be announced and presented with their awards.
"The event is always a buzz and the room is full of women supporting other women," said Mrs Papac. "It is another day to make great connections and build your support network. We always say you can feel the love and care in the room, you can hear a pin drop when the winners have the opportunity to briefly share their story on stage."
Applications will be accepted until 5pm on Monday, March 7, and can be from anyone in the Illawarra, not just IWIB subscribers.
Mrs Papac said that the IWIB awards serve an important function not only in showcasing Illawarra businesswomen themselves, but preparing businesses to nominate for other awards programs.
"These awards have given women the confidence to enter not only our awards but to also enter the Business Illawarra Awards and other awards in the business community," she said.
"It is an important part of any business to enter business awards. It can create positivity and excitement in the workplace, particularly if the business is a finalist, highly commended or category winner."
After navigating through an unprecedented 2021, the awards were a chance to recognise the innovation and determination of Illawarra women in business.
"This year the judges will be looking for the stories on how businesses successfully survived the year - what innovative ideas did they come up with to get through another 12 months and how did their leadership steer their team through the pandemic," Mrs Papac said.
Prior winner Lisa Burling of Lisa Burling Public Relations (LBPR) said that her IWIB awards gave her the confidence she needed at a critical time.
"Today, LBPR is the Public Relations Institute of Australia Best Small PR Consultancy 2020/21 and I am very proud to have the IWIB Awards as part of our journey."
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