Businesses must demonstrate they meet all eligibility criteria to have its application assessed by a judge.
Businesses must have no adverse findings following due diligence checks to progress as a state and territory finalist.
The 2026 Australian Export Awards full eligibility criteria can be found in Section 3 of the 2026 Program Guidelines.
To be eligible to apply, a business must:
A business that has previously won a national category and has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame is eligible to apply for the Awards program.
A business is not eligible to apply if they:
The Hall of Fame was established in 2002 to recognise Australian exporters who have won across the same or multiple categories over several years. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a business must have:
a. won 3 times in the same, or similar, national category; or
b. won 5 times across different national categories.
A business inducted into the Hall of Fame is no longer eligible to apply.
Businesses must demonstrate in their application that at least 50% of the overall value of their exported product or service is attributable to Australian inputs, capability, or benefit, using any three of the following five measures:
a. Australian value-add: design, development, engineering, processing, manufacturing, branding, or service delivery occurring in Australia.
b. Australian workforce: a significant proportion of staff or contractors are based in Australia.
c. Australian IP ownership or creation: core intellectual property is developed, controlled, or legally owned in Australia.
d. Australian management and decision-making: strategic leadership and operational oversight are located in Australia.
e. Australian economic return: a substantial portion of profits or benefits flow back into Australia through employment, taxation, procurement, reinvestment, or cultural/economic contribution.
Businesses may be requested to provide additional information or evidence to substantiate alignment to the above measures.
A business must be able to demonstrate to our reasonable satisfaction, that it has derived direct revenue across the three most recent financial years (excluding the Emerging category) from the export of eligible goods or services.
Export activity must be lawful and ethically conducted and adhere to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
A business must demonstrate to our reasonable satisfaction sound financial stability through provision of financial data.
A business may be requested to provide financial statements or other evidence to verify any information provided in the submission. Businesses cannot be insolvent, under administration, or subject to regulatory sanctions.
To progress into the national program a business must meet all eligibility requirements, and must also have:
a. won in one of the 13 national categories at the state or territory level,
b. successfully progressed through national due diligence checks (section 3.7.1 in the Program Guidelines) with no adverse findings (section 3.7.2 in the Program Guidelines).
Winning at the state level does not automatically guarantee that a business will progress to the national level. A winner at the state and territory level is only deemed an ‘eligible’ national finalist once all due diligence is completed.
There are 13 national categories for the 2026 Awards program each with their own eligibility criteria.
Businesses must read the Program guidelines.
National sectors categories represent export industries and sectors across a broad range of Australian goods and services exports.
The full eligibility criteria for the below National sector categories can be found in Section 4 of the 2026 Program Guidelines.
Cross-cutting categories, agreed between Austrade and its state and territory government partners, are not sector specific. They highlight achievements of Australian goods and services exporters across the economy.
To be eligible for the Emerging Exporter category, a business must be exporting for 2 years or less.
A business that applies in this category is not eligible to apply in any other sector specific or business category.
To be eligible for the First Nations category, a business must:
a. Be 51% First Nations owned by individuals who are recognised as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.
b. Provide evidence to demonstrate the business meets the 51% threshold.
To ensure alignment with the Australian Government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy, evidence must include the below registrations or certifications:
a. with Supply Nation on the ‘Indigenous Business Direct’ public register (as a ‘registered’ or ‘certified’)
b. by the Office of the Registrar for Indigenous Corporations (ORIC)
c. by the First Nations Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI),
d. By other Indigenous Chamber of Commerce within a businesses' home state or territory, or Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.
e. by Indigenous Business Australia, or an Indigenous Business and Employment Hub, under the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA),
f. by local Aboriginal Land Councils or Prescribes Bodies Corporate (PBC), or
g. other government recognised indigenous business registers.
To be eligible for the Regional Exporter category, a business must:
a. Have their primary operations located in a regional or remote Australian area as per ABS ASGS RA1-RA4*; or
b. have a significant proportion of their value-add or production activity occurs in regional or remote Australian area as per ABS RA1-RA4; or
c. generate measurable regional economic benefit, such as:
a. regional employment
b. supply chain engagement
c. operating facilities in regional locations
d. investment in regional communities
d. a RA0* (major cities) headquartered organisation may qualify only if it can demonstrate substantial, ongoing regional operations linked to export activity.
*The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 Remoteness Area, is managed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Remoteness Areas divide Australia into five classes of remoteness which are characterised by a measure of relative geographic access to services.
The Awards program utilises the ASGS to establish consistent eligibility on what ‘regional or remote’ is for the purpose of this category.
The eligible Remoteness Area will be determined at the time an application is submitted and will be maintained throughout the program year.
To be eligible for the Small Business category, a business must:
For further information on national finalist eligibility and the due diligence process, read Section 3 of the Program Guidelines.
If you have any questions on eligibility, please contact the Export Awards Coordinator in your state or territory.