Congratulations to the finalists of the Bodyshop Awards

Congratulations to all of the finalists in this year's Bodyshop Awards. The judging panel convened last Tuesday in Sydney to go through all of the entries.

The standard was insanely high this year with some really great shops not quite making the final cut. Firstly, thanks to the judging panel who gave up their time not only spending a couple of days reading through the judging portal but also an entire day (and in many cases flying inter-state) deliberating who the finalists and winners are. A judging duo made up of Neil Powell and Sam Street visited either in person or via Zoom all of the businesses in the best shop categories (Large, boutique, new, MSO, corporate, dealer and country). From these a number of finalists were agreed on and put forward to the judging panel to further whittle down.

All of the best practice and individual award categories were judged by the entire panel via the awards portal. This year's judging panel was made up of

Steve Lozenkovski General Manager Bears Group

Greg Preston Group Executive Manager Plastfix

Michelle Te Rure Operations Manager at Action Smart Group

Brenda Iversen Retired shop owner

Ben Fewtrell Director Max My Profit

Corey Wells Ringlead (that's what it says on Linkedin) Wells Autobody.

Sam Street Editor Paint & Panel

Neil Powell retired head of Paint & Panel at TAFE NSW.

It was great to have so much diverse experience and so many different points of view on the panel. Despite that everyone's 'top 3s' in each category were remarkably similar. If you missed the announcement on Friday the finalists are listed below. The winners will be revealed at our sparkling night of nights on the Gold Coast on November 17. Over half of the awards night tickets have been snapped up so click here if you want to secure your place.

Paint & Panel wishes to thanks and acknowledge all of the sponsors who make the awards possible especially our headline sponsor Compass.

2023 Bodyshop Awards Finalists

BEST NEW SHOP
Coorparoo Paint and Panel QLD
Reneew Collision Repair Centre WA

BEST COUNTRY REPAIRER
Bissell’s Paint and Panel QLD
Finn’s Bodyworks TAS
Geoff Richards Panel Beating NSW
McCarthy Panel Works QLD

BEST SHOP BOUTIQUE
M1 Autobody VIC
Perth Autobody Repairs WA
Tony Farrugia Bodyworks ACT

BEST SHOP LARGE
Bert Bennett Panel Centre WA
Drive Accident Solutions QLD
Eblen Collision Repairs SA
Hadwen’s Prestige Collision Repairs QLD
Sommerville Smash Repairs QLD

BEST CORPORATE SHOP
Gemini Pinkenba – AMA Group QLD
MotorOne Autobody – Knox VIC

BEST MSO
Sheen Panel Service VIC
Western General Bodyworks

SAFETY AWARD
MPSR Group NSW
North Shore BMW Bodyshop NSW
Sheen Panel Service VIC

BEST DEALER OWNED SHOP
MBQ AutoBody QLD
North Shore BMW Bodyshop NSW

BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
M1 Autobody VIC
Reneew Collision Repair Centre WA
Sheen Panel Service VIC
Weststar Prestige Paint and Panel VIC

BEST WORKPLACE MSO
AMA Group VIC
Sheen Panel Service VIC

BEST WORKPLACE
Bissell’s Paint and Panel QLD
Hadwen’s Prestige Collision Repairs QLD
MPSR Group NSW
Reneew Collision Repair Centre WA

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE
Geoff Richards Panel Beating NSW
Hadwen’s Prestige Collision Repairs QLD
M1 Autobody VIC

COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Alexander Bodyworks – AMA Group QLD
Fortress Collision Repair Service QLD
Sheen Panel Service VIC

MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Nazeer Ali – Capital S.M.A.R.T Carrums Downs VIC
Martin Dickinson – AMA Group QLD
Joseph Ricciardi – Gino’s Panel & Paint WA
Adam Small – Sommerville Smash Repairs QLD
Jeremy Wilks – North Shore BMW Bodyshop NSW