Celebrating the innovation, resilience and excellence of Aotearoa's world-class events industry.
About the Awards
Give your people, stakeholders and suppliers the recognition they deserve. These awards honour the people who push our industry forward.
Honour outstanding events and suppliers delivering exceptional experiences for communities right across New Zealand.
Finalists and winners gain national recognition, media exposure and a powerful endorsement of the quality work you deliver.
Key Dates
Save the Date
The Awards Gala Evening will be held in conjunction with the Eventing the Future Conference at Auckland's New Zealand International Convention Centre on Wednesday 5 August 2026.
An extraordinary evening celebrating the people, events and organisations shaping Aotearoa's events industry — join us for a night of recognition, connection and celebration.
Date & Venue
Wednesday 5 August 2026
NZICC, Auckland
Tickets on Sale Now
One of the best reasons to enter the Awards? Your work will be seen by an outstanding panel of judges drawn from across the events, sponsorship, supplier, and business sectors.
Every entry is carefully reviewed, and you'll receive valuable feedback from some of the most experienced professionals in the industry.
Special Awards
These two awards are not entered in the same way — read on for details.
All finalists from the Excellence Award categories are automatically entered. The event with the most public votes during the voting timeline wins. Voting opens July 2026 via a public poll — first past the post wins. Finalists are encouraged to mobilise their audiences.
No separate entry required — finalist status from another category is your ticket in.
Recognises an individual or team with an outstanding contribution to advancing the New Zealand events industry — either across a career or a specific multi-year project. By third-party nomination only.
Judging: NZEA conducts preliminary research on nominees. The NZEA Board may also nominate. The Board shortlists, consults industry leaders, and decides the winner. No finalists announced — winner revealed at the Gala.
Submit a NominationClick any category to expand the full award description, eligibility, and judging criteria.
Recognises event or sponsorship professionals with under five years' experience (as at 7 April 2026) who demonstrate outstanding leadership and industry potential. No age limit.
Proudly Sponsored by NZICCRecognises professionals with a significant career — typically 6+ years' experience — where the qualifying year demonstrates exceptional excellence and outstanding performance.
Recognises outstanding arts, cultural, or heritage events — regardless of organisation size or event budget.
Proudly Sponsored by TicketmasterRecognises excellence in business events of any size — both Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C).
Proudly Sponsored by CventRecognises excellence in events with fewer than 3,000 participants delivered to meet community needs or for cause-related fundraising and awareness.
Recognises excellence in events with more than 3,000 participants delivered to meet community needs or for cause-related fundraising and awareness.
Recognises excellence in event sponsorship that delivers strong outcomes for all stakeholders through a cohesive, integrated strategy. Open to all levels — budget and event size are not factors.
Recognises excellence in food, beverage, or lifestyle events — food/wine/beer festivals, garden shows, special-interest expos. Budget and event size are irrelevant.
Recognises excellence in events owned or delivered by local government. Budget and event size are irrelevant.
Recognises excellence in sports events. Event budget and size are irrelevant.
Proudly Sponsored by TicketekRecognises excellence in music-focused events — concerts, festivals, performances, tours, one-off or series. Budget and event size are irrelevant.
Proudly Sponsored by APRARecognises successful hosting and/or delivery of an internationally significant event in New Zealand, generating profile or visitation from outside New Zealand. Typically owned by an international rights-holder with a local delivery partner.
Proudly Sponsored by BidfoodRecognises excellence in event marketing and creative concepts — graphic design, design & build, theming, and more.
Proudly Sponsored by Phantom BillstickersRecognises outstanding service or product suppliers supporting the events industry. Suppliers of innovative products/services or marketing/creative may wish to consider those specific categories.
Proudly Sponsored by NZMERecognises outstanding environmental sustainability initiatives across the events sector — including sustainable events and sustainability-focused products, services, or organisational practices.
Recognises outstanding diversity, equity, and inclusivity-focused events that champion belonging and representation.
For event venues — stadiums, convention centres, private function venues, sporting venues, community venues — that delivered an exceptional event during the qualifying period.
Proudly Supported by EVANZJoin us at the NZICC, Auckland for Aotearoa's most prestigious events industry night.
