The innovators, the resilient ones, the community heroes: The Smart50 Awards category shortlist announced

In August and September, SmartCompany accepted entries for The Smart50 Awards 2023, our annual program uncovering and celebrating the fastest-growing Australian SMEs.

Along with the Smart50 list, which will be revealed on November 16, the Awards include special Category Awards, which recognise the other ways SMEs are performing, contributing to their communities, finding success and driving innovation.

In the coming weeks, our guest judges will look over their entries to choose the final winners, also announced on November 16.

Finalists will receive an email this week with next steps and information on event registration.

The shortlisted candidates are:

The Innovation Award

Sponsored by BlueRock

• Advanced Mobility Analytics Group
• Association of Professional Builders
• Fullstack Advisory
• Peeplcoach
• Prime100
• Shippit
• Taskforce Australia

The Innovation Award will be judged by Bevan McLeod, managing director at BlueRock, and Jeannette Cheah, co-founder and CEO at The Hacker Exchange.

The Resilience Award

Sponsored by Fifo Capital

• Fullstack Advisory
• Inspire Realty
• StudioHawk
• SustainHealth Recruitment
• Tank Stream Labs
• The Nudge Group
• Broken Crayons Still Colour Foundation

The Resilience Award is judged by Wayne Morris, CEO at Fifo Capital; Tahnee McWhirter, co-founder and partner at HumanX HR, and The Hon Bruce Billson, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.

The Rising Star Award

Sponsored by Aircall

• al.ive Body
• Delidoor
• Endure Collective
• HumanX HR
• Inspire Realty
• Paire
• bobby

The Rising Star Award is judged by Christina Gerakiteys, CEO at UtopiaX.

The Community Award

• Causeis
• Cheeta Teamwear
• Chess Mates
• Inspire Realty
• Shadowboxer
• She-Com
• StudioHawk

The Community Award is judged by Adriarna Nunn, head of people and culture at Cobild, and Ben Tyers, founder at The Local Rag.

The Sustainability Award

• Airgarden
• Evercleaner
• Goterra
• McGregor Coxall
• MoveActive
• Shippit
• EVSE
• Launchpad App Development

The Sustainability Award is judged by Julie Mathers, CEO at Snuggle Hunny, and Michel Hogan, brand counsel.

The Retail Award

• Cheeta Teamwear
• Kollektive
• Motto Fashions
• MoveActive
• Pretzel Australia
• The Little Potion Co
• The Natal Naturopath

The Retail Award is judged by Richard Li, co-founder and CEO of July, the overall winner at last year’s Smart50 Awards.

The Marketing Award

• Fullstack Advisory
• Hyphen Health
• Untitled Group
• Sydney Digital Marketing

The Marketing Award is judged by Benjamin Cairns, head of marketing at Matilda Bay Brewery, and Natasha Menon, CEO and co-founder at Mash.

Finalists will receive an email this week with next steps and information on event registration.

For more information about The Smart50 Awards, check out the dedicated page.