From humble beginnings with just one award, being the Kangaroo Island Youth Employee of the Year, our very own employment award event was created with Adelaide Training & Employment Centre as the proponent (initially funded through the 2018 ATEC KI employment and training project). The Naming Partner opportunity was quickly snapped up by Yumbah Aquaculture, who accepted first option to support in this way for the following two consecutive events, despite unavoidable disruptions during 2019 and 2020.

With support from the new Kangaroo Island Business Hub as program partner, the awards were held at the Hub in early June 2021 to recognise and celebrate the achievements of employees and, for the first time, KI businesses, during the 2020 calendar year. This saw the expansion of the categories to eight (8) awards and the creation of a standalone event.

The success of the 2021 awards led to a revamp of the Awards Program – with a fresh new logo created by the very talented Sarah Strong-Law which now captures the intent of the awards, being inclusive of all industry sectors across the island. The 2022 Yumbah Aquaculture Kangaroo Island YBATT (Youth, Business, Agribusiness, Tourism, Trades) Awards brought with it a level of excitement that included a very fun festive (sold out) event at the Kangaroo Island Airport in October 2022, celebrating all the nominees and winners of the eleven (11) award categories that made the 2022 awards unforgettable.

This year we are very pleased to announce that we have a new Naming Partner – Kangaroo Island Our Town. KI Our Town is a community led ten-year initiative funded through the Fay Fuller Foundation, supporting and building local wellbeing capabilities and capacity for our island community.

There are nine (9) categories for nominations at the 2023 Kangaroo Island Our Town YBATT Awards, due to the amazing commitment and support from returning and new Partners, who make this all possible.

We are planning another big celebration (a ‘Black Tie Cocktail Evening’ affair. The American River Hall will be dressed to impress, with a cocktail on arrival and delicious culinary delights served throughout the evening that are sure to tantalise your tastebuds – courtesy of amazing mother / daughter duo, Carrie and Kim from the Glossy Black restaurant in American River. Once again, there’ll be an assortment of live music to entertain us, and dancing is a must to finish off what will be a spectacular evening. We have a few surprises in store that we’re keeping secret until the night. We care about your safety so return transport will be available from the three main townships (Penneshaw, Kingscote and Parndana) to American River.