Sitchu Awards 2025 Terms & Conditions

SITCHU AWARDS 2025 – GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS 

Awards Overview

The Sitchu Awards are a national celebration of the businesses, destinations and experiences that shape everyday living in Australia.

Categories cover both metropolitan and regional areas across NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, and TAS.

The awards are conducted in two stages: Nominations and Voting, followed by the announcement of winners.

Nominations

Nominations open at 2:00pm AEST on 1 October 2025 and close at 11:59pm AEDT on 14 October 2025.

Any member of the public aged 18+ years may nominate a business or venue in one or more categories.

All nominations will be reviewed by Sitchu’s editorial team and state-based editors to confirm eligibility.

Businesses must meet the relevant category criteria (see Category Eligibility Criteria below) to progress to finalist consideration.

Finalists 

Sitchu’s editorial team will shortlist five finalists per category per state from all eligible nominations.

Finalists will be announced at 9:00am AEDT on 22 October 2025.

Finalists will be notified via the contact information available to Sitchu and published on sitchu.com and Sitchu’s social channels.

Voting 

Public voting for finalists is open from 9:00am AEDT on 22 October 2025 and closes at 11:59pm AEDT on 4 November 2025.

Each individual is permitted one vote per category.

Duplicate, automated, or fraudulent votes will be disqualified at Sitchu’s discretion.

Votes will be independently validated before final results are confirmed.

Winners

Winners will be announced on 12 November 2025 on sitchu.com and Sitchu’s channels.

The business or venue receiving the highest number of valid votes in each category will be declared the winner.

In the event of a tie, Sitchu reserves the right to determine the winner based on editorial discretion and category criteria.

Winners may be promoted by Sitchu across editorial, digital, and social channels.

Category Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, businesses and venues must have been operating prior to 1 July 2025.

Best Date Night Venue – Restaurants, rooftop hideaways, or bars known for exceptional dining and/or atmosphere suited to evenings out.

Best Deli or Sandwich Spot – Venues serving a core menu of sandwiches, baguettes, subs, or deli items.

Best Bakery – Bakeries offering breads, pastries, or cakes as their primary product.

Best Neighbourhood Bar – Small-format venues with a primary focus on drinks service, ambience, and community appeal.

Best Region for a Weekend Escape – Australian destinations that provide distinctive travel experiences (food, accommodation, activities) within accessible distance of a capital city.

Best New Restaurant Opening of 2025 – Restaurants that launched between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.

Best Coffee Spot – Cafés or specialty coffee venues recognised for consistent, high-quality coffee service.

Best Small Local Business (Lifestyle, Beauty, Fashion, Wellness) – Independently owned businesses with fewer than 20 employees and a single physical retail location, in the lifestyle, beauty, fashion or wellness specialist area.

Best Foodie Suburb – Neighbourhoods that demonstrate culinary distinction, offering a mix of established and emerging food and beverage venues.

Editorial Integrity

All decisions regarding eligibility, finalist selection, and winners are at the sole discretion of Sitchu and are final.

Sitchu reserves the right to remove any nominee, finalist, or winner if they are found to breach eligibility criteria or engage in conduct that may bring the awards into disrepute.

Relationship of Parties

Participation in the Sitchu Awards does not establish any partnership, agency, or employment relationship between Sitchu and nominees, finalists, or winners.

Businesses do not pay to be nominated, shortlisted, or awarded.

Promotion & Publicity

By accepting nomination or finalist/winner status, businesses consent to their name, imagery, and business details being used by Sitchu for promotional purposes without additional compensation.

SITCHU AWARDS 2025 – COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS 

1. Promoter

The Promoter is Sitchu Pty Ltd (ABN 77 606 865 525), located at Suite 4, 2A Phoenix Street, Lane Cove NSW 2066. 

2. Eligibility

Entry is open to Australian residents aged 18 years or over. 

Employees of the Promoter and agencies associated with this promotion, as well as their immediate families, are ineligible to enter. 

3. Competition Period

The competition comprises two phases: 

• Nominations Phase: Commences at 12:00am AEST on Tuesday 1 October 2025 and ends at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 14 October 2025. 

• Voting Phase: Commences at 12:00am AEDT on Tuesday 22 October 2025 and ends at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 4 November 2025. 

The Promoter reserves the right to amend the Competition Period at its discretion due to unforeseen circumstances. 

4. How to Enter

To be eligible to win the $1,000 cash prize, entrants must: 

• Submit a nomination for a business in at least one of the Sitchu Awards categories during the Nominations Phase; and 

• Vote for one of the official finalists during the Voting Phase. 

Incomplete, late, automated, or duplicate entries may be deemed invalid at the Promoter’s discretion. 

The Promoter reserves the right to verify the validity of entries and to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process or submits an entry not in accordance with these Terms & Conditions. 

5. Prize

There is one (1) prize to be awarded: 

• AU$1,000 cash, payable by bank transfer or bank cheque. 

Total prize pool value: AU$1,000. 

The prize is non-transferable and not exchangeable. Any attempt to sell or auction the prize will result in immediate disqualification and cancellation of the prize. 

The Promoter reserves the right to substitute any component of the prize with an alternative of equal or greater value if the prize becomes unavailable for any reason. 

6. Winner Selection

The winner will be randomly drawn from all eligible entries received across both phases using a computer-generated random selection tool. 

The draw will take place at the Promoter’s offices at Suite 4, 2A Phoenix Street, Lane Cove NSW 2066 on or after Friday 8 November 2025. 

The winner will be notified via email and/or phone within three (3) business days of the draw and announced on Sitchu’s social media channels. 

If the winner is unable to be contacted within 10 business days despite all reasonable attempts, the Promoter reserves the right to conduct a redraw. 

7. Claiming the Prize

The winner must: 

• Respond to the Promoter’s notification within 10 business days, and 

• Provide a valid Australian bank account or address for delivery of the prize. 

Failure to claim the prize in time will result in forfeiture and a redraw will take place to select a new winner. 

Once prize has been confirmed by the winner, it is deemed non-transferrable and non-refundable. 

8. Verification

Entrants may be required to provide proof of identity, age, and residency to claim the prize. 

The Promoter reserves the right to verify that the entrant completed both the nomination and voting stages, and to disqualify any entry that does not meet these requirements. 

The judges reserve the right to disqualify any entry deemed to contain objectionable content, including but not limited to profanity, defamatory language, offensive imagery, or inappropriate conduct. 

9. Privacy

By entering the competition, entrants consent to the Promoter: 

• Collecting and storing their personal information, and 

• Using their personal information for the purposes of administering the competition and for direct marketing (subject to opt-out). 

All entries become and remain the property of the Promoter. 

The Promoter’s privacy policy is available at: https://www.sitchu.com.au/privacy-policy 

10. Liability

The Promoter shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or injury suffered or sustained (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) arising out of or in connection with the competition or the acceptance of the prize, except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law. 

The Promoter is not responsible for any lost, late, or misdirected entries or for any technical malfunctions that may affect entry into the competition. 

The prize does not include any incidental costs, such as transportation, travel, taxes, or insurance. 

11. Tax Implications

Independent financial advice should be sought as tax implications may arise as a result of accepting the prize. The winner is solely responsible for any tax liability incurred. 

12. General

This is a game of chance; skill plays no part in determining the winner. 

The Promoter reserves the right to: 

• Cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the competition at any time, subject to regulatory approval where required. 

• Substitute any prize or element thereof for one of equal or greater value if the prize becomes unavailable. 

• Update these Terms & Conditions without notice, where legally permitted. 

By entering this competition, all entrants are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.