Three new categories added to Saint Lucia Business Awards

Saint Lucia’s business community will have more opportunities to be recognised for excellence when the 12th annual Saint Lucia Business Awards ceremony is held on January 30, 2027.

The event, hosted by the St Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture, in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, will bring together the country’s brightest entrepreneurs to celebrate their achievements over the past calendar year.

The awards will be held under the theme “The Chrysalis Effect: Metamorphosis into Greatness”, described by organisers as “a natural evolution and transformation that ultimately leads to strategic resilience and excellence”.

The theme and plans for the 2027 ceremony were unveiled during a pre-ceremony launch at Harbor Club in Gros Islet on Tuesday.

During the launch, it was revealed that three new categories are being introduced: the Award for Corporate Social Responsibility – Small Business, the Environmental Stewardship Award – Small Business, and MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) of the Year.

Additionally, last year’s belated People’s Choice Award was presented to Optimum Cooling. Organizers indicated that the delay was due to a technical error with the public voting system. In the name of “transparency”, the Chamber reran the public voting to ensure that all votes were “fully verified and accurate”.

During his address to the gathering, Nicholas Bernard, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said the award ceremony represents an acknowledgement of success in what is a challenging market to operate.

“The business awards are not simply about giving trophies. They are about recognising businesses and individuals who are doing things well and showing the wider business community what is possible” he said.

“Running a business in Saint Lucia is not always easy. We face rising costs, increasing competition, challenges with finding and keeping good people, changes in technology, and a business environment that really continues to change constantly. Yet our businesses continue to invest, employ people, serve customers, innovate, and find ways to grow. That deserves to be recognised.”

Last year’s awards provided many strong examples of this. Businesses from different sectors and at various stages of development came forward to share their accomplishments. Some were well-established companies, while others were relatively new. 

Honorees were recognised for innovation, entrepreneurship, exports, customer service, leadership, and their contributions to the wider community.

The following categories are open for nominations:

Corporate Social Responsibility Award – Large Business

Corporate Social Responsibility Award – Small Business

Environmental Stewardship Award – Large Business

Environmental Stewardship Award – Small Business

Award for Service Excellence

Employer of the Year Award

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Export Achievement of the Year Award

New Business of the Year Award

Not-for-Profit Organisation of the Year Award

Young Professional of the Year Award

Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) of the Year

Business of the Year Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

People’s Choice Award

The Prime Minister’s Award for Innovation

Judges’ Choice Award