Exciting changes coming to the 2026 Eastside Business Awards

The Eastside Business Awards is back for the ninth consecutive year—and 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting programs yet.

Hosted by the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters in partnership with Solstice Media, the Awards continue to shine a spotlight on the incredible local businesses that make our City a vibrant place to live, work, visit and do business.

Since 2018, the Awards have celebrated the best of the best, from retailers, cafés and restaurants to food and beverage manufacturers, professional services, venues and independent small businesses.

More than just recognition, the Eastside Business Awards honour the operators and staff who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer experiences each and every day.

Being named a finalist is a powerful endorsement—a nod from the community that says, “You’re doing something special”.

And for businesses, simply being nominated is an opportunity to reflect, refine and celebrate what they do best.

 

Why the change

Much has evolved since the Awards first began.

The eastside’s business landscape has witnessed significant growth, with new industries emerging and existing sectors evolving.

After analysing data and industry trends and exploring best practice across other awards programs, the Council has refreshed several categories to better reflect today’s thriving local economy.

Some existing categories remain, while others have been reshaped or replaced—ensuring the Awards continue to honour businesses in the most relevant, meaningful and future-focused way.

Four new categories have been introduced to better recognise the evolving nature of local business sectors:

• Best Health & Fitness

Celebrating the gyms, studios, wellness hubs, clinics and allied health professionals who help locals live their happiest, healthiest lives.

This reflects a booming sector — with more than 4,700 health and wellbeing businesses active across the City.

• Best Retail

A bright spotlight on the stores we love to browse and buy from.

This includes fashion, homewares, furniture, giftware, speciality stores and supermarkets — plus previous retail legends and finalists who continue to lead the way.

• Best Restaurant / Pub

Recognising outstanding evening dining experiences, from fine dining establishments to favourite family restaurants and much-loved pubs.

This new category brings together previous Restaurant and Pub/Bar nominees to create one strong, competitive field.

• Best Café

Dedicated to the daytime favourites.

Think coffee institutions, brunch icons and local gems known for great food, great coffee and warm service — the places where community happens.

The following categories will remain in their current format:

• Best Arts / Entertainment Experience
• Best Food / Beverage Manufacturer
• Best Independent Small Business
• Best Hair / Beauty Salon
• Best Professional Service
• Hall of Fame.

To streamline and modernise the program, several older categories are being retired but their history won’t be lost:

• Best Customer Experience → merged into each business’s natural category
• Best Café / Restaurant → now separated into Best Café and Best Restaurant/Pub
• Best Fashion Retailer → transitioned into Best Retail
• Best Coffee → integrated into Best Café
• Best Pub / Bar → merged into Best Restaurant/Pub

All previous winners, finalists and Legends from these categories will continue to be recognised under their new category.

Get ready for 2026!

The refreshed program launches soon:

Voting opens: Monday 16 February

Voting closes: Sunday 15 March

Awards Night: Wednesday 22 April

The updated categories bring fresh momentum, more recognition opportunities and a clearer way to celebrate the businesses that define life in Adelaide’s east.

With a stronger, more vibrant program than ever, the 2026 Eastside Business Awards promise to honour the heart and soul of our community in exciting new ways.

Throw back: relive the memories from the 2025 Eastside Business Awards and check out previous award recipients, visit: Eastside Business Awards