The 2020 Paint & Panel Awards entries are open and we encourage suppliers to nominate great shops and for great shops to nominate themselves. We've already had over 60 entries and we expect many more before the closing date of May 20.
The Paint & Panel Bodyshop Awards aim to shine the spotlight on as many businesses as we can who excel in the field of autobody repair. There are also awards for individuals in the categories of Young Achiever and Rising Star.
Each year the judging team, made up of editor Sam Street and industry stalwart Neil Powell, look forward to visiting as many collision repair businesses as possible and recognising excellence in a number of categories and aspects of the industry.
The best shop awards recognise the different business demands of running a boutique, medium or large shop and select the best of those judged in each state. It’s not about having a shiny new facility – unless you’ve entered the new shop category. It’s about having a professional, well run, well equipped business which invests in its staff and keeps up to date with the constantly evolving demands of this complex industry. The entry criteria and all the information can be found here.
As well as all of the established awards such as Best Shop and the Axalta Business Excellence Award this year we have a new award called Training and Development. We're looking for businesses who really invest in their team for example: technical training, bringing on apprentices, OH&S and first aid training, business management courses, customer service, you get the idea.
Nominating is quick and easy - all you need to do is put your name and contact details and those of the shop or individual you want to nominate. Self nominations are encouraged. You can nominate up to three businesses at once on the Survey Monkey form and you can nominate them for Best Shop and Best Practice awards or just Best Practice awards. We also have a frequently asked questions section on the website.
We love visiting shops we haven't been to before so if you have never nominated your business, make 2020 the year to do so. Entries close on 20 May and judging takes place in June and July. Winners will be flown (where applicable) to our glittering awards dinner which takes place in Melbourne on 13 November and will be profiled in the magazine.
If you have won an award before you can’t be considered in the same category for two years. However, you can enter for a different category – for instance one of the best practice awards. If you have 3-15 shop sites you can enter for the Best MSO award, however you can still put one of your shops forward for the Best Shop category.
If you have been judged in the past and haven’t won you are encouraged to enter again – there have been many winners who took two or three years of the judges seeing improvements in their business before they finally took home a trophy.
I was so happy to find out that we had won, it was one very proud moment for us. Dave and I put a lot of hard work into building our second shop and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing team… which is why we bought them all to the award dinner! We’re grateful for each and every staff member, and of course to the Paint and Panel judges for the recognition. Clarissa Iacobucci Director DSI Panels
Thanks to our sponsors
We are extremely grateful to all of our sponsors who make these awards possible. Their commitment to recognising and rewarding talent and supporting an event which brings the whole industry together has been much appreciated by the many businesses and individuals who have taken home their award.
Platinum sponsor Axalta Coating Systems’ Steven Brett says: “Axalta Coating Systems is passionate about supporting sustainable business practices in our industry, which is why we are proud to once again be sponsors of the Paint & Panel Awards and the Axalta Business Excellence Award for 2020. These awards are incredibly important as they allow us to celebrate those that excel in the industry through hard work, innovation and their use of sustainable business practices. They provide a great platform to showcase many of the great shops across the country and the people who have put in a lot of time and effort to make these shops stand out from the rest.”
Platinum sponsor James Frape of Compass says: “‘I encourage you to be part of this exciting awards program and celebrate your achievements and success. Compass has been proudly sponsoring the awards for the past five years. The awards have evolved year on year and form part of an incredible validation not only for the winners but for those who are nominated.’ James Frape, CEO Compass.
Gold sponsor Steve O’Brien from iBodyshop is another huge supporter of the awards: “On a regular basis the industry produces new groups of “innovators” who introduce new ideas and processes that others soon follow; the award winners are this year’s innovators. Industry recognition of the efforts and sacrifices of those individuals and teams in achieving their goals is why iBodyshop is so proud to be a Gold sponsor of the 2020 event.”
Not just a trophy
Tyden Hadwen, Hadwen’s Prestige Collision Repair in Queensland is one the of last year’s awards winners. He is interviewed on Episode 3 of the Paint & Panel podcast, The Edge about what winning the award meant to him and his team. “Having an outsider come into your business is really valuable and, since the judges came to visit, we have started thinking differently. You spend most of the week in the four walls of your business and it was a breath of fresh air to have someone come in and look at my shop, critiquing it and giving insight into where the industry is heading,” he said.
“We’ve made a lot of improvements since then. We met some great people at the awards night which opened up other opportunities. Getting recognised by the industry gives you a huge leg up and gives you a boost to tackle new things.”