Owner Builder Institute Nominated for the 2026 7 NEWS Community Achievement Awards

We’re excited to share some wonderful news — Owner Builder Institute has been officially nominated for the Career College Small Business Award in the 2026 7NEWS Community Achievement Awards for Queensland.

For a young Queensland business, receiving this nomination is an incredibly exciting milestone and one we’re very proud to celebrate.

Recognising Small Businesses Making a Difference

The 7NEWS Community Achievement Awards celebrate individuals, organisations and businesses making a positive contribution within their communities.

Owner Builder Institute has been nominated in the Career College Small Business Award, a category recognising small businesses and the contribution they make through their work, innovation and commitment to their communities.

For us, the nomination is particularly meaningful because Owner Builder Institute was created with a very clear purpose: to make the owner builder journey easier to understand, more practical and better supported for everyday Australians.

Why We Started Owner Builder Institute

Taking on an owner builder project can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be overwhelming.

There are approvals to understand, budgets to manage, trades to coordinate, building terminology to learn and important safety and compliance responsibilities along the way.

We created Owner Builder Institute to help bridge that gap. Our goal is to provide straightforward, practical education and resources that help owner builders understand what they are taking on and approach their projects with greater knowledge and confidence.

Alongside our owner-builder courses, we continue to develop practical resources and tools designed around the real decisions people face when planning and managing a building project.

A Milestone for a Growing Queensland Business

Owner Builder Institute is still a growing business, which makes this nomination particularly special.

A huge amount of work happens behind the scenes to develop our courses, improve our resources, listen to feedback and continue building something that genuinely helps people.

Being recognised as an official Queensland nominee in the 2026 7NEWS Community Achievement Awards is an encouraging milestone in that journey.

Most importantly, we’re grateful to every learner who has chosen Owner Builder Institute and trusted us to be a small part of their owner-builder journey.

What Happens Next?

Nominations for the 2026 awards have now closed and the judging process has begun.

The first stage will determine the Top 10 Semi-Finalists, with results expected around 18 September 2026.

From there, the semi-finalists will be considered by the Executive Judging Panel, with five finalists selected in each category ahead of the Queensland Awards Gala Dinner in Brisbane on 21 November 2026.

For now, we’re simply very proud to be among the nominees.

Whatever happens in the next stage, being recognised in the Career College Small Business Award is something worth celebrating.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Owner Builder Institute so far. We’re only getting started.

— Stephanie & Kris Owner Builder Institute