Two NT businesses take home gongs at national small business ‘Oscars’

Two Territory businesses have won honours and a swag of others reached finals at the national small business ‘Oscars’. Read who won.

Top End Early Learning Centre

Two Territory businesses took home top honours at last month’s Australian Small Business Champion Awards.

Tiwi-based Top End Early Learning Centre Incorporated and Driver-based business The Bid Agency both collected top honours at the awards, which have become known as Australia’s small business Oscars.

Top End Early Learning Centre won the Early Childhood Services category and The Bid Agency won the Business Consultancy of the Year at the 2025 Small Business Champion Awards.

The win was remarkable because of the nature of the competition. Of the 19 category entries, 17 were from New South Wales and the other from the ACT.

Small business award winner Melissa Maguire

Founded by long-time Territorian Melissa Maguire, The Bid Agency specialises in helping Territory and interstate businesses secure competitive tenders and grant funding.

“This award recognises the impact I’ve had in helping Territory businesses successfully compete for contracts and grants since 2017,” Ms Maguire said.

“As someone who’s called Darwin home since 1994, what truly matters to me is seeing how

these businesses go on to create meaningful impact in our community.

“I’m immensely proud to have represented the NT on the national stage and also show people what a working from home business achieve.”

Ms Maguire celebrated the win on social media, detailing some of the challenges she has faced over a number of years.

“But my heart comes from a place of setting an example of how other small micro business like mine in the NT where I WFH are just as worthy and just as good as our interstate counterparts,” she wrote.

Deadly Hair Dude's Gary Strachan at the 2022 Australian Small Business Championships. Picture: Facebook

“No matter all my setbacks I crafted a career for myself when I hadn’t finished high school and was homeless at 16. Throw in a brain tumour five years ago and a congenital heart defect and heart surgery six months ago.”

A number of other Territory businesses performed strongly among national competition to make the finals of the award categories.

Darwin-based ACTIO Group which supports start-up businesses was also a finalist in the Business Consultancy category while Deadly Hair Dude and Ikuntji Artists were finalists in the Indigenous Business Category.

Top Corner in Nhulunbuy was nominated as a finalist in the Psychology category and Bellamack-based Woodwicks and Wildflowers was a finalist in the Retail Sole Operator award.

Founded in Darwin as part of a pilot program in July 2023, Defence personnel support organisation Villy Australia was a finalist in the Social Enterprise Business section and two Territory businesses, NT Driver Guide in Coconut Grove and OBJ Adventures in Nhulunbuy were finalists in the Tourism division.

Originally published as Two NT businesses take home gongs at national small business ‘Oscars’