The 2026 Sustainable Business Awards are now open, marking the 24th year of the awards run by the Sustainable Business Network. Entry is free and open to any organisation.
New for this year, the awards have broadened their category list to explicitly recognise the financial, procurement and partnership mechanisms that drive systemic change. The additions include Future Finance – acknowledging funders and financial institutions using capital as a catalyst – and Market Mover, which recognises those using market influence to shift outcomes towards low-carbon and circular economy models.
Rachel Brown ONZM, CEO and founder of the Sustainable Business Network, says the expansion reflects where change is actually happening. “The future economy isn’t coming, it’s being built right now by the people we celebrate through these Awards.”
“This year we’re deliberately casting the net wider, because every organisation who moves this system forward deserves to be acknowledged,” she says.
The full suite of 2026 categories spans Disruptive Innovation, Transformational Leadership, Emerging Transformational Leader, Outstanding Collaboration, Communicating for Change, and Regenerating Nature, the latter recognising businesses integrating nature restoration and biodiversity into their core operations. A supreme Next Aotearoa Award will also be presented to one category winner demonstrating exceptional system-level impact.
All finalists will appear on the annual ‘Next’ list – which featured 119 organisations and individuals in 2025 – and will be considered for nomination for the global Earthshot Prize by official nominator Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. The prize carries £1 million in funding, and three finalists from last year’s awards are currently in contention.
Principal Partner NZI returns as the awards’ headline sponsor. Executive General Manager Garry Taylor says the insurer sees supporting the awards as core to its role in the business community. “It is our privilege to help celebrate exceptional business leaders who are taking action to strengthen their operations, their communities and the wider economy for a more sustainable future.”
Entries close 30 June 2026, with winners announced at a celebration event on 26 November at Shed 10 on the Auckland waterfront. Further information and entry forms are available here.
