terms and conditions

A business can only be nominated for one of the standard category awards by using one of the Business Achievers entry forms published in each local Quest newspaper. Nominations can also be lodged via the Quest website (www.questnews.com.au). Photocopied nomination coupons will also be accepted.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for a Business Achievers category award, a business must satisfy the following criteria:

1. a)  privately owned or a franchise / agency operation with the nominee being the only franchise / agent outlet of the same name and proprietor in that zone area.
2. b)  wholly within the circulation area of the newspaper as determined by the Corporate Events Co-ordinator in consultation with Quest's Distribution Department.
3. c)  must be nominated in the accepted manner.
4. d)  Nominations for national companies, major chains, publicly listed companies, etc may be excluded as category finalists, unless, in the opinion of the organisers and judges, a category or nominees within a category lend themselves to the inclusion of such companies.
5. e)  For a New Business to be eligible they must prove that it has been registered less than 18 months from the publishing of the last entry coupon. It is up to the business to supply us with that proof within a given deadline.
6. f)  In all matters, the organisers and judges decision shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

New Business of the Year deadlines for eligibility:
Please refer to the below deadlines for a business to be eligible for the New Business of the Year category.

Nominations

1. a)  nominators may send in more than one nomination form but just one nomination per business per category is allowed.
2. b)  Businesses may only win one of the standard categories.
3. c)  Where a business has been nominated for an award in more than one category, the correct category will be determined by the Corporate Events Co-ordinator and the nominator or business contacted for clarification of intention.
4. d)  Nominator’s may nominate a business using the form published in one of the participating Quest Community Newspaper titles. Nominating is also acceptable via the Quest website (www.questnews.com.au). Photocopied nomination coupons will also be accepted.
5. e)  In the case where a nominator nominates a business outside the circulation area of the newspaper listed on the nomination form, that nomination will be transferred to the relevant title - provided the nominating period has not expired and the nominated category is relevant.
6. f)  The Corporate Events Co-ordinator - in consultation with the Distribution department - will determine which circulation area a business should be included in for the purposes of the Business Achiever Awards.
7. g)  Random contact with nominators may be made to ensure the legitimacy of nominations.
8. h)  The Corporate Events & Partnerships Manager may need to adjudicate on some of these previous points.

Judging Procedure

Up to six (6) finalists in each standard award category (as published in the nomination coupon) will be selected from the highest number of nominations recorded. These six (6) finalists then need to complete assessment criteria by the stated deadline.

Finalists will then be allocated a set number of ranking points based on the highest number of nominations.

Finalist responses will then be passed on to the judges who will also rank them, based on the content of the assessment and Quest will then award them an additional set of points.

Points gained from reader nominations will then be added to points gained from the judges ranking to determine a shortlist of three (3) finalists.

The names of the top three (3) finalists will then be supplied to the mystery shoppers who will conduct a "Mystery Shopper" evaluation. The mystery shoppers will then return the results and include a ranking for each of the three (3) finalists.

The outright winner of that category will then be determined by adding together the ranking points from the following:
Reader Nominations + Questionnaire Evaluation + Mystery Shopper Survey

In the event of a tie in deciding the 3 shortlisted finalists, the deciding factor will be the highest points given from the questionnaire. In the event of a tie in deciding the outright winner, the deciding factor will be the highest points given from the mystery shopper audit.

Disqualification

A business may be precluded from winning an award if it is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Corporate Events & Partnerships Manager (or Rules Committee) that the business:

1. a)  Is in breach of compliance with Workplace Health and Safety regulations;
2. b)  Is in breach of compliance with current Wages Legislation;
3. c)  Is in breach of compliance with State and Federal Anti-discrimination laws;
4. d)  Is in breach of compliance with relevant industry permits (building licence, etc);
5. e)  Does not have an acceptable credit rating with the Australian Credit Reference Association;
6. f)  Is already nominated for an award in another Quest Newspaper (businesses may only be nominated for an award in one newspaper, unless that business has outlets or branches in other circulation areas);
7. g)  Intends to close prior to and within a one month period following the award night presentation;
8. h)  Is undertaking activities that are contrary to the spirit of the awards or directly influence the outcome of the awards.
9. i)  Is a national company, major chains, publicly listed company, etc (unless, in the opinion of the organisers and judges, a category or nominees within a category lend themselves to the inclusion of such companies).

Winners

Winners will be announced at the Gala Awards Night (as per date schedule below). Those winners not present at the Awards Night will be notified the week following the event.