How to enter
Signup lightning speed by clicking the ‘Enter now’ button below. From there on it’s all history!
The portal
Enter now
You can enter the Pause Awards by clicking the ENTER NOW button above or on any page you see it. Alternatively, you can also click the ENTER/LOGIN button from the main navigation. You’ll need to log in and create your account first if you don’t have one already. The whole process is lightning fast as you only need two pieces of information to sign up. Once you create your account, you can use it ongoing for the following years.
There are three segments that need your attention once you sign in. You can edit your answers for these sections even after making payment right up until the final deadline. This means you can secure earlybird rates but still have time to finesse your entries before the final deadline.
- Business Information we use for the internal insights only.
- Pause Index profile creation, which allows you to have your own beautifully designed business page on our website, if you win the award. We’ll also link all associated articles to your page in the future, so this is your landing page in the house of champions!
- Category Selection will have a few useful filters to help you pick the right one. You can enter as many categories as you like with a speedy option to have the same answers across all categories, or write them all individually. Good luck!
Payment
Payment is at the very end of the process, and you’ll be able to pay for as many categories all at once, and you can add more categories if you change your mind.
Multiple entries
If you enter into any two categories, we’ll give you a 50% discount on the ‘Company of the Year’ category only. And if you take three wins, we’ll offer a complimentary Winner’s Package for the third pack.
If you need, you can find our terms and conditions here.
Important dates
All entries must be submitted by midnight on the night of each deadline day.
Entry Dates
2023 Entries Open
Wednesday 17 May ‘23
Launch Entries Deadline
Friday 19 May ‘23
Early Entries Deadline
Friday 16 Jun ‘23
Standard Entries Deadline
Friday 18 Aug ‘23
Late Entries Deadline
Friday 1 Sep ‘23
Public Voting
Public Voting Opens
Monday 4 Sep ‘23
Public Voting Deadline
Friday 13 Oct ‘23
Judging
1st Round Judging
Monday 18 Sep ‘23
2nd Round Judging
Monday 9 Oct ‘23
Announcements
Finalist Notification
Monday 23 Oct ‘23
Winners Announced
Pause Awards Night on 4 Dec ’23
Pause Awards Night tickets on sale
Monday 23 Oct ‘23
Eligibility
- Entries are open to individuals and businesses in Australia.
- Achievements and projects must have taken place between 1 July 2022 to 1 June 2023.
- Projects in development with no results should not enter.
- Entry must have been executed in the marketplace prior to submission.
- National companies can apply multiple times with different projects.
- Partners and sponsors can enter awards. There will be no favours.
- Judges will need to recuse themselves from voting on their own company or be disqualified.
- Blockchain, government departments, NFPs and agencies can enter.
- All fees are in AUD and non-refundable.
- Awards are not industry-specific.
Categories
Pause Awards champions ambitious people and forward-thinking businesses in the Australian ecosystem. The categories are crafted to include many important aspects of the business.
This year, we are excited to offer five tracks comprising 31 categories, which include 14 new categories.
During the judging process, several criteria will be taken into account, with weights assigned as follows: 30% for smart tactics, 30% for business success, and 40% for positive impact. We encourage nominees to provide detailed and focused answers.
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Culture05
Creating a safe and open space in which everyone thrives and the collaboration flows through all levels and titles with the power of the one team. The entries should demonstrate how the transformation has been achieved across core business functions, that have delivered a positive impact and growth for business, staff, stakeholders and customers. Judges will only refer to written entries during the evaluation process. No additional research will be undertaken, and for this reason, we recommend you give detailed and sharp answers.
Diverse Co.
For nurturing an inclusive environment. This award recognises a workplace that has successfully and intentionally encouraged innovation among diverse employees.
Large team culture
For fostering innovation. This award recognises a workplace with over 1000+ employees that has outpaced their cohort in fostering a culture of innovation.
Medium team culture
For fostering innovation. This award recognises a workplace with 21-999 employees that has outpaced their cohort in fostering a culture of innovation.
Small team culture
For fostering innovation. This award recognises a workplace with less than 20 employees that has outpaced their cohort in fostering a culture of innovation
Work sweet work
For a great workplace culture. This award recognises a company that has managed to improve or attain outstanding levels of employee engagement, retention and satisfaction.
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Excellence09
Celebrating commercial effectiveness through success in the marketplace by leaving a dent in the universe, no matter what the size of the company. The entries should demonstrate the highest levels of expertise, leadership and vision in the application of their business strategies. Judges will only refer to written entries during the evaluation process. No additional research will be undertaken, and for this reason, we recommend you give detailed and sharp answers.
Company of the Year
For the best company. This award recognises a company leadership, success, ambition to excel against all odds with the solid future development plans.
Defiant ones
For new tech breakthroughs. This award recognises a company that defines the future of the industry they play in.
Hall of fame
For a lifetime achievement. This award recognises a game-changer who paved the way by breaking new grounds and inventing new categories.
Hammer
For nailing it. This award recognises a company’s success – on their own terms – in the market.
I wish I’d done that
For sheer brilliance. This award recognises a company’s simple and clever idea in a niche market.
Indi
For new and First Peoples. This award recognises a successful company with its founders from indigenous or ethnic heritage that gained success in the market.
On the rise
For early stage mavericks. This award recognises an early stage startup that has done well in its first three years.
Prodigy
For being exceptional. This award recognises a young person with exceptional qualities or abilities.
Women in business
For breaking the mould. This award recognises a successful female leader and entrepreneur who is paving the way forward for the future generations.
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Good04
Standing up for your purpose and going beyond together as a team aligned on the single mission to positively impact the environment, people and community. The entries should demonstrate ideas intended to change the world; work which sets out to positively impact ingrained gender inequality, social imbalance or injustice. Judges will only refer to written entries during the evaluation process. No additional research will be undertaken, and for this reason, we recommend you give detailed and sharp answers.
B-Good
For a good business. This award recognises a company that has done well to change our economic system to positively impact all stakeholders through their commercial practice.
Circular Pioneer
For making a difference. This award category recognises a company that is pioneering their circular efforts.
Going green
For delivering impact at scale. This award recognises a company that is actively leading and delivering impact and scale through sustainable efforts in clean energy, climate change, healthy environment, social and economic justice etc.
You’ve got ethics
For the leadership in environmental social governance. This award category recognises a company that is promoting accountability, good governance, leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility and solving societal problems.
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Growth05
Focusing on the productivity and elegance of execution to deliver impactful ideas to a market (or many) with the power to cut through the noise. Entries should demonstrate how the innovation and optimisation of the customer journey led to scaled consumer engagement and commercial success. Judges will only refer to written entries during the evaluation process. No additional research will be undertaken, and for this reason, we recommend you give detailed and sharp answers.
Design first
For design lead products. This award recognises a company that is using design to drive product innovation with the entire company onboard.
Inception
For visionary thinkers. This award recognises a person that came up with the transformative idea that can change the world for better.
Out of the garage
For scaling globally. This award recognises a company’s global growth, expansion, and success.
Unexpected twist
For a great pivot. This award recognises a company that has taken an unexpected pivot in their business or career.
Wildfire
For conquering a marketplace. This award recognises a company that has made a significant impact on the marketplace in the shortest amount of time.
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Operators08
Elevating every voice in the ecosystem is not just important for its collective success, industry development but also for the future growth. The entries should demonstrate ingenuity which leads to the creation of new products and services, through leadership, by elevating the internal culture and communities they serve. Judges will only refer to written entries during the evaluation process. No additional research will be undertaken, and for this reason, we recommend you give detailed and sharp answers.
Backbone
For backing the future idea. This award recognises a VC firm with a portfolio of companies that have made a significant contribution to the growth and success of the AU economy.
Brave Angel
For early stage support. This award recognises an angel investor that has garnered a portfolio of companies and has a good track record of helping founders succeed.
C-Suite
For the best leadership. This award recognises the highest-ranking executive that has impeccable leadership, management and interpersonal skills.
Do you know who I am
For the silent achiever. This award recognises a person that has been responsible for the success of their company from the backstage.
Future builder
For grit to start a new venture. This award recognises a founder at any level and life stage who has decided to start jumping the hoops of their own business.
Hottest hub
For the best community. This award recognises a co-working space that provides boutique experience, world class facilities with community management.
Launch pad
For activating the support systems. This award recognises an accelerator that has a good reputation in providing the best startup program with industry connections.
Super connector
For being the community champ. This award recognises a person for a significant contribution to the success of their clients or the community.
Criteria
- There are five Category Tracks and 38 categories, including 8 new categories.
- Entries must be for achievements between 1 July 2022 and 1 June 2023.
- Early Entry deadline is 16 Jun ’23 (11:59pm AEST), Standard Entry deadline is 18 Aug ’23 (11:59pm AEST), and Late Entry deadline is 1 Sep ’23 (11:59pm AEST).
- Entry fees range from $295 for an Early Entry to $495 for a Late Entry.
- Judges will only refer to written entries and will not conduct additional research.
- Entrants can submit entries into multiple categories with the same or different projects.
- Individual entries must have been employed for at least one year prior to entering and must use their personal name, not their company’s name.
- If you nominate an individual or a company, you must enter as them and provide all necessary information for website profile creation and promotion.
- There is no set number of winners per category. The Judging Board may award a Grand Prix for best in class. A separate People’s Choice Award will include all entrants.
- All sections of the entry questions must be completed to be judged. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.
Judging process
After the entries close, we open up for judging and public votes through our custom-built award entry and judging portal.
The judging process consists of two rounds:
1st Round
In the first round, each judge will review 10% of the entries across the categories or a specific group of categories assigned to their area of expertise. Scoring is done on a 1-10 rating scale, and all entries need to have at least three judges’ votes and score above 7.0 points to advance to the 2nd Round as Finalists.
2nd Round
The Judging Board judges the 2nd Round in an open session where each finalist is discussed independently, and further points are assigned or deducted from the entry. The Chair of the board is responsible for overseeing the judging process. This round is final and binding.
To win the Grand Prix, the entire Judging Board must unanimously agree that the entry deserves the accolade of being the best in class.
There is no limit on the number of finalists or winners that judges can assign. However, if an entry fails to meet the judging criteria or provide sufficient information and metrics, there will be no winner for that category.
Judging criteria
During the judging process, a variety of criteria will be taken into account and assigned weightings as follows:
Smart tactics / 30%
The level of innovation demonstrated in your operations and the overall solution.
Business success / 30%
The tangible results that your initiative has achieved across different metrics.
Positive impact / 40%
How your initiative has been received by people and the overall impact it has created.
In the first round of judging, each judge will assign separate scores for all three segments per entry, and the average score will be taken as the final score. Judges will also be required to recuse themselves from voting on their own company. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
Last year’s Public Voting was incredibly popular and competitive, and we’re excited to see the results this year. However, please note that there can only be one winner from the Public Voting category, so make sure you bring your best game and aim to dominate!
Entry fees
We have different rates throughout to help you make the most of the competition.
Launch Entry until Friday 19 May ‘23
$295 +GST per entry
Early entry until 15 July 2022
$395 +GST per entry
Standard Entry until Friday 18 Aug ‘23
$445 +GST per entry
Late Entry until Friday 1 Sep ‘23
$495 +GST per entry
Note: Once you’ve paid the entry fee for Pause Awards, you’ve officially entered the competition. Please note that entry fees are non-refundable, so we advise considering your decision carefully before making a payment.
Don’t forget: you can pay for your entries at our lower rates then edit your information up until the competition deadline.
If you’re fortunate enough to win, you have the option to purchase the Pause Awards Trophy and attend the Pause Awards Night. However, these are entirely optional. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are unique, and we want to provide flexibility in how winners choose to celebrate their achievements.
Award trophy
At Pause Awards, we believe that the last 10% of effort makes all the difference in providing a premium experience that sets us apart. Our attention to detail, dedication to quality and appreciation for authentic experiences and design are what makes us stand out.
We’re excited to introduce our wearable trophy, which was inspired by the Olympic medals awarded to athletes. Our goal was to create a trophy that not only represents your success but also serves as an art sculpture worthy of attention.
In addition to the physical trophy, we’re also minting a TrophyNFT. This NFT is another way to represent your success and commemorate your achievement. We’re confident that both the physical trophy and the TrophyNFT will serve as lasting reminders of your success and inspire you to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation.
In 2022, Pause Awards received the prestigious Good Design Award for the outstanding packaging design category in Australia, marking a remarkable achievement in the industry.








Winner’s Pack
We hope you’ll find a Premium package valuable enough to join our mission. The fees are competitively priced within global award programs for business excellence. The Premium Winner’s Package is optional for purchase.
As a winner, you will have basic access to the Pause Index, Top10 list, Unlimited Trademark, Public Voting, Limited Partner Benefits and Promo Media Kit. And for those who want more, we highly recommend the Premium option!
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PremiumWhat you get with premium Winner’s Pack
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Pause Index
If you win, you’ll join the most innovative companies in Australia, and your company profile will live under the Pause Index forever. You will set up your company profile as you enter the awards, add your links, photos and a few more words. We’ll be adding your articles to your profile over time. -
Top10 List
On the Winner’s page, there is a Top10 section which will be updated each year after we announce the new results, and the previous page will be archived for future reference. The Top10 companies will gain the most exposure online and be included in our marketing campaigns. So, the goal is to hit the top ten! Easy. -
Unlimited Trademark
Our annual Pause Awards Night & Afterparty is a special time to meet with fellow winners and the entire ecosystem to network, talk business and raise glasses. You’ll get one complimentary pass to the Welcome Reception, Awards Night and Afterparty. You can also order extra group tickets for your team, family, and friends. -
Pause Awards Trophy
The trophy design this year is a pure aesthetic marvel designed around the production inefficiencies in Post-Covid world to punch above its weight with simplicity and style. Taking onboard the ‘less is more’ approach and new positioning being ‘The Home for Champions’ trophy has been designed to be wearable like an Olympic medal, sustainably packed. -
TrophyNFT
The world’s first awards program that offers an NFT version of the trophy to each winner! The number of NFTs, minted as a collection on OpenSea, depends on how many winners there are in the awards season. The future value and why you should care are explained on the Pause NFT page. -
Thought-Leading Articles
With a new website comes a new opportunity. We’re building peer community generated content in our newsroom, and we’d like you to contribute with your thought-leading content and industry insights. So if you have thought-provoking content, you can now share it on our channel. -
Signed Certificate
The winners get two A4 printed certificates. Winners that order the Premium Winner’s Package get a second TrophyNFT certificate of ownership with a wax seal and a royal stamp. -
Winner Stories
Our commitment is to push your stories to the world and tell everyone how successful your business was in the last year. However, due to timings, we can’t interview everyone at one time, but we’ll get to it during the year. Our newsroom page is poised to be the place for good reads, opinions and curated industry news. -
Judge Feedback
In 2022, we will provide Premium winners with the Judging feedback on their entries. The company names will be displayed on the judges’ profiles who they scored. -
Photo & Video
You’ll get your photos professionally taken at the Awards Night in front of the media wall. Our video crew will film you for vox-pops, but we can’t guarantee if you’ll make the final cut. -
Partner Benefits
We are looking to partner with brands and other institutions with high-quality offers, free products or services that may help businesses grow, scale, save or professionally develop. These benefits will vary from year to year. -
Public Voting
We are bringing the public voting in 2022! There can be only one People’s Choice Award winner from all categories, making audience voting very competitive. -
Promo Media Kit
Whether you are a finalist or the winner, we’ll arm you with an official media kit to share your success with the world. The Premium media kit includes the Pause Awards logo, social post template and a sample Press Release which you can use in your media pitch. -
Ongoing Promotions
Pause Awards are created to tell the world how amazing, courageous and smart you all are! Those who purchase the Premium Winner’s Package can expect their company profiles to be more prominent, get an article interview written about them and be used in marketing campaign the following year. -
Fashionable Merch
We love merch, good merch! And we don’t mind investing some time in designing good looking items that you are proud to wear or stick up. So you can expect more cool stuff coming your way at the Award Night.
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BasicWhat you get as a winner
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Pause Index
If you win, you’ll join the most innovative companies in Australia, and your company profile will live under the Pause Index forever. You will set up your company profile as you enter the awards, add your links, photos and a few more words. We’ll be adding your articles to your profile over time. -
Top10 List
On the Winner’s page, there is a Top10 section which will be updated each year after we announce the new results, and the previous page will be archived for future reference. The Top10 companies will gain the most exposure online and be included in our marketing campaigns. So, the goal is to hit the top ten! Easy. -
Unlimited Trademark
Pause Awards trademark license allows you to promote your company as a finalist or winner in email signatures, website banners, brochures, mention in media, press releases and any other way you see fit to promote for a lifetime. We’re just saying this because some awards charge for this privilege. -
Public Voting
We are bringing the public voting in 2022! There can be only one People’s Choice Award winner from all categories, making audience voting very competitive. -
Partner Benefits (limited)
We are looking to partner with brands and other institutions with high-quality offers, free products or services that may help businesses grow, scale, save or professionally develop. These benefits will vary from year to year. -
Promo Media Kit
Whether you are a finalist or the winner, we’ll arm you with an official media kit to share your success with the world. The Premium media kit includes the Pause Awards logo, social post template and a sample Press Release which you can use in your media pitch.
Trophy fees
The cost of a Pause Awards Trophy varies based on your company size. Please refer to the price list below for details.
If you win three awards within a year, the third trophy is free of charge!
In case you face financial constraints and cannot afford the trophy fees for your company size, you can request a reduced price at the time of notification. Feel free to get in touch with us to discuss your options.
Additional Pause Awards Trophies can be purchased for $350 +GST each.
$450
$550
$650
$750
$950
Trophy Production and Delivery
Pause Award Trophy samples will be available at the Pause Awards Night for you to take photos with if you win. After the event, all winners will be contacted to ask if they would like to order a trophy.
Trophies are pre-made and ready to ship. Please allow 3–10 days for shipping and 2–3 days for handling. Shipping Fee is $30 Australia wide. To ensure timely delivery, we advise ordering trophies before December 15th. If you’ll be away from the office or on holiday when ordering, please let us know so we can make arrangements.
Ordering Pause Awards Trophy is a great way to remember your success and support the Pause Awards community.
Community membership
Join our vibrant community and stay connected with the Pause Awards ecosystem by becoming a community member. Even if you don’t win an award, you can still be an active part of our community and gain access to various benefits, including the ability to publish your content on our news website and a 15% discount on award entries and tickets for the Pause Awards Night & Afterparty. Get access from here.
$250
Pause Awards Night
The Pause Awards Night is a highly anticipated event that unites the Australian innovation ecosystem in celebration of the year’s outstanding achievements. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with prominent figures in the business world, including winners, judges, and our partners.
The ticket encompasses the Welcome Reception, Pause Awards Night, Official Afterparty and will be available for purchase on 23 October ‘23. If you require additional tickets for your team, friends or family – VIP Booths, Tables or Rooms can also be purchased.
We encourage small teams who are uncertain about where to hold their end-of-year Christmas celebrations to join the Pause Awards Night as part of the ecosystem.
On the night, the winners will be announced, and trophy samples will be available for winners to take pictures with. The trophy can be purchased the next day, and orders will be shipped within 2-3 working days.
Entries ’23 open on 17 May
Get ready to get your company or an individual nominated this year and join the community of champions.
Sign up for the launch