The Leeton Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who organises the event, has decided the 2017 event will not be going ahead. 

However, chamber alliance members will still have the opportunity to enter their business to the regional awards. Leeton Chamber president Jodie Ryan said the awards committee had only recently made the decision to cancel this year’s event.

“We received a lot of feedback from the 2016 event that was held at the Roxy Theatre ... together with this feedback and some other changes we would like to introduce, we feel time was not on our side this year,” she said.

“The past (awards) committee members really thought a bi-annual event would be more successful and this Is something that we took very seriously.

“We will discuss this in more detail at the next meeting.” The awards have had up and down success in Leeton in the past decade. 

Typically held on an annual basis, there was a three-year period where the awards went into recess and were not held before being revived by the chamber. Griffith doesn’t have its own awards, while Wagga only just recognised its cream of the crop on Saturday night.  

Acting regional manager of the Murray-Riverina NSW Business Chamber Naomi Stuart supported the decision in Leeton. 

“While it is disappointing the local awards won’t be going ahead, there is still the opportunity for chamber alliance members to nominate for the Murray-Riverina regional awards,” she said. 

“The local Leeton chamber has been in touch and we are aware they are already proactively organising their 2018 event, which is great.” The awards had moved to a new system in recent years where businesses nominated themselves. 

Applications were then subject to independent judging before an official ceremony was held to celebrate the winners.