Last night’s inaugural 2026 Greater Hobart Small Business Excellence Awards was a tremendous success and a wonderful celebration of our local business community.

As Chair of Business Greater Hobart, I was incredibly proud to see our 21 finalists recognised for their hard work, resilience, innovation and contribution to Greater Hobart.

Congratulations to our 2026 award winners:

• Da Angelo Ristorante – Business of the Year Chairman’s Award
• Happy Larry Deli – Emerging Small Business Award
• GDA Group – Professional Services Award
• Southern Automotive – Trades and Construction Excellence Award
• Emerge Business Solutions – Innovation and ICT Award
• Personal Best Fitness – Customer Service Excellence Award
• TEDx Hobart – Inclusion, Equity and Belonging Award
• Florage Tasmania – Leadership, Sustainability and Community Impact Award

I was also honoured to present the Business of the Year Chairman’s Award to Da Angelo Ristorante, recognising its outstanding leadership, impact and sustained contribution to Greater Hobart.

Congratulations to every winner and finalists. These awards were created to shine a light on the people behind our small businesses and give them the recognition and promotion they deserve.

Thank you to our sponsors, partners, guests, volunteers and everyone who helped make the evening possible. A special thank you to our MC Alex Johnstone, musician Tony Mak and the team at RACV Hotel Hobart.

Most importantly, thank you to Greater Hobart’s small business community. You create jobs, strengthen our economy and help bring our communities to life.

Edwin Johnstone
Chair, Business Greater Hobart