A good job deserves a big ‘good on ya’.
Know a tradie who turns up on time and leaves the job better than they found it? Give them the wrap they’ve earned.
- NominationsNominationsClosed16 Sep
- Public voting closesVoting closes30 October30 Oct
- Winner announcedWinnerFriday 13 November13 Nov
Good tradies. Great locals
Three stages across eight weeks: the Gold Coast puts names forward, the community gets behind them, and the people’s choice is announced in November.
Nominate
Shout out a tradie who does great work. Nominations run 16 September to 8 October 2026.
Rally the crew
Get your mates, family and community behind them. Voting runs 14 to 30 October 2026, one vote per person, confirmed by email.
Celebrate
Votes are audited in early November and the people's choice is crowned on Friday 13 November 2026.
Who’s your ‘I know a good one’?
The businesses you can vote for go up here when voting opens on Wednesday 14 October 2026.
Key dates
Where the competition is up to right now, and what comes next.
- Nominations openWednesday 16 September, 9am
- Nominations closeThursday 8 October, 11.59pm
- Owner acceptance dueNowMonday 12 October, 5pm
- Voting opensWednesday 14 October, 9am
- Voting and verification closeFriday 30 October, 11.59pm
- Vote auditMonday 2 to Friday 6 November
- Winner contactedMonday 9 November
- Winner announcedFriday 13 November, 10am
- Prize delivered byFriday 27 November
All dates are 2026, Australian Eastern Standard Time (Queensland, UTC+10).
Who can be nominated
Trade businesses that hold an ABN, genuinely operate within the Gold Coast City local government area, and deliver hands-on trade work as their main service. There are 21 eligible trade groups. These aren't award categories. Every nominee from every trade competes for one overall title, and there is only one winner.
Building and carpentry
Building, renovation, carpentry and structural repairs. Construction delivery is required.
Cabinetry and fit outs
Cabinetmaking, kitchen and bathroom installation, joinery, and shop or workshop fit outs.
Plumbing, drainage and gas
Plumbing, drainage, gas fitting, and hot water or tank installation or repair. Pumping or cleaning alone is excluded.
Electrical, solar and communications
Electrical, solar, data cabling and fixed communications installation or repair. Testing, sales or cleaning alone is excluded.
Air conditioning and refrigeration
Air conditioning, refrigeration, heating and ventilation installation, mechanical servicing or repair.
Roofing, guttering and waterproofing
Roofing, guttering, waterproofing and fixed roof safety installation or repair. Cleaning or inspection alone is excluded.
Civil, earthworks and concreting
Earthworks, civil construction, drilling, demolition and concrete works. Plant hire requires an operator delivering these works.
Painting, plastering, tiling and flooring
Painting, plastering, rendering, tiling and installed floor finishes. Supply or cleaning alone is excluded.
Glazing, doors and windows
Glazing, and door, window, screen and shutter installation or repair.
Fencing, outdoor structures and masonry
Fencing, gates, retaining walls, masonry, outdoor structures and jetties. Supply alone is excluded.
Landscaping, irrigation and arboriculture
Landscape construction, irrigation, turf installation, arboriculture and land clearing. Routine mowing, weeding or garden upkeep alone is excluded.
Pools and recreation installations
Pool and court construction, equipment installation, mechanical servicing and repair. Cleaning, chemical supply and inspection alone is excluded.
Locksmithing and security installation
Locksmithing, and installed alarm, access control and security systems. Guard patrols or key cutting alone is excluded.
Fabrication, machining and trade finishes
Custom fabrication, machining, welding, blacksmithing and protective trade coatings. Raw material supply is excluded.
Automotive, motorcycle and truck trades
Vehicle mechanical, electrical, body, tyre, glazing and upholstery services. Sales, washing and detailing alone is excluded.
Towing and roadside assistance
Towing, vehicle recovery, salvage and mobile roadside repair or battery and tyre assistance. Vehicle transport broking or dispatch alone is excluded.
Marine, caravan and trailer trades
Boatbuilding, marine trades, and caravan or trailer construction, installation, servicing and repair.
Machinery and appliance repairs
Mechanical or electrical installation, servicing and repair of machinery and appliances. Retail or hire alone is excluded.
Specialist installations and building restoration
Fixed installations, signage fabrication or installation, asbestos removal and building restoration. Routine cleaning or consultancy alone is excluded.
Furniture restoration and upholstery
Furniture manufacture, repair, restoration and upholstery. Sales, leather cleaning or basic flat pack assembly alone is excluded.
Pest and termite treatment
Professional pest or termite treatment and barrier installation. Inspection-only or wildlife relocation-only businesses are excluded.
One winner overall. There are no category winners. The trades show which businesses can enter.
Full eligibility rules, exclusions and the complete conditions are on the conditions of entry page.
Run a trade business on the Coast?
You don’t have to wait for someone else to put your name forward. Enter your own business, then let your customers decide it.
- Free to enter. No purchase, no subscription, no strings.
- About two minutes to fill in, and self-nominations are welcome.
- The public decides the winner, so the customers you’ve looked after are still the ones who count.
Want more five-star jobs all year?
That’s our day job. Localsearch helps Gold Coast tradies get found online by the locals already looking for them.
Answers before you enter
Conditions of entry
The fine print on who can enter, how voting works and how the prize is awarded.
Read the conditions of entryAny trade business with an ABN that genuinely operates in the Gold Coast City local government area and does hands-on trade work as its main service. There are 21 eligible trade groups, and the business needs any licence, registration or insurance the law requires for that work. Businesses owned or run by Localsearch employees or contractors, or by their immediate family, can’t be entered, though those people can still nominate someone else and use their one vote.
Still not sure? Email our team
Email our Gold Coast team and we’ll talk you through nominating, voting or the conditions of entry.
Gold Coast Tradie Business of the Year 2026 is run by Localsearch and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by any social media platform.