The Xero Australia Awards are back for FY22

It’s no secret that FY21 will go down in the history books as one of our most challenging years yet. From extreme weather events to COVID-19, Aussies have had it tough. But in the face of adversity, we’ve also witnessed incredible displays of courage, resilience and creativity. 

This year, we’re excited to invite you – the business community – to tell your stories (and share all the hard work that’s behind them) for the Xero Australia Awards. From corner stores that pivoted their shopfronts online, to enterprises that have swapped the nine-to-five-grind in favour of flexible work – businesses have pulled themselves up by the bootstraps to survive (and even thrive) through extreme turbulence.  

The FY22 Xero Awards are all about honouring that resilience. As we continue to recover and rebuild, now is a better time than ever to celebrate you – Xero’s community – and all that you’ve achieved in the past year. 

What’s different

This year’s Xero Australia Awards are an evolution of our previous awards focusing on the efforts and performance of a company rather than an individual.

There are 13 major award categories in total:

• Accounting Partner of the Year
• Bookkeeping Partner of the Year
• Enterprise Partner of the Year
• Cloud Champion of the Year
• Innovative Partner of the Year
• Community Champion of the Year
• Practice App of the Year
• Small Business App of the Year
• Emerging App of the Year
• Small Business of the Year
• Emerging Small Business of the Year

 Including two new ones: 

• Financial Services App of the Year
• Sole Trader of the Year 

Based on your feedback, we’ve made some changes to make the awards process more transparent and easier to navigate, with clearer eligibility criteria and timing, and greater industry representation across the judging panels.

What’s on offer? A “WOW experience”

Although the FY22 awards will be a little different to those before it, the Xero team is working hard to ensure this year’s winners will enjoy a memorable experience. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what the 2019 Xero Award winners have to say: 

For Megan Winter of Unstoppable eCommerce, it was a “WOW experience.” She says, “I’ve won many accolades in my career, and honestly, being a Xero Award winner is by far my favourite and most memorable.”

Alongside the celebrations, the winners’ experience is also a great chance to network with innovative, community-led businesses across various industries – including Xero. This was a highlight for David Dahmn of Health and Life, who says, “It gives you confidence in seeing how great ideas come to life, and also where we could improve our own practice.” 

Everything you need to know

Nominations are open now, so head to our website to apply before they close on 6 August. Finalists and winners will be announced in a few months, so keep an eye on your inbox for updates.

Alongside the Xero Australia Senior Leadership and Global Partner teams, we’re excited to have several influential small business and external industry leaders on this year’s judging panel. To learn more about the judges, visit our awards page here. 

Best of luck to those of you that apply – we can’t wait to hear your stories.