Top honours for star Queensland exporters

The heart and soul of Queensland entrepreneurs and business owners was on display at the Premier of Queensland's Export Awards 2026, where exporters in industries ranging from medical technology to agriculture were celebrated.

The awards recognised Queensland businesses that are succeeding in international markets, creating jobs and contributing to the state's economy.

Growing the economy in order to drive down the cost of living and give Queenslanders a better lifestyle is a key Queensland Government objective.

Premier David Crisafulli and the Honourable Ros Bates, Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, joined the Export Awards 2026 winners on stage at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Source: Trade and Investment Queensland

The Premier of Queensland's Export Awards 2026 winners were:

• Agribusiness, Food and Beverages: Green Skin Avocados (Brisbane)
• Creative, Lifestyle and Design: Gameloft Brisbane (Brisbane)
• Digital and Smart Technologies: Emesent (Brisbane)
• Emerging Exporter: BiomeCentric (Gold Coast)
• First Nations Exporter: Kakadu Organics (Sunshine Coast)
• International Education and Training: John Paul International College (Logan)
• International Health and Queensland Exporter of the Year: Cook Medical (Brisbane)
• Manufacturing and Advanced Materials: Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment (Sunshine Coast)
• Professional Services: Place Design Group (Brisbane)
• Regional Exporter: KING RIVER (Central Queensland)
• Resources and Energy: Phibion Pty Ltd (Brisbane)
• Small Business: Lock Jaw Ladder Grip (Brisbane)
• Sustainability and Green Economy: Infravision (Sunshine Coast)
• Women in International Business (Queensland category): Susan Toft, The Laundry Lady (Sunshine Coast)

Cook Medical took out this year's top honour as Queensland Exporter of the Year.

The Brisbane-based company was awarded for its long-standing success in developing and manufacturing medical devices for global markets. Cook Medical also received the International Health Award.

Cook Medical General Manager John Skinner said the company’s 800 staff were vital to its success in designing and manufacturing custom medical devices for patients in 83 countries – a number that’s growing rapidly.

“They’re going to be thrilled we’ve got this award in recognition of all the hard work they do every day,” Mr Skinner said.

“We’ve got really good people here in Queensland with great skills and who are willing to put in the hard work.”

Beef exporters KING RIVER, which has cattle-raising properties in North and Central Queensland, won the Regional Exporter award. Director Harry Kemp said being from a regional area was integral to the business.

“It’s all from the heart in the regions, there’s no fake, there’s no façade,” Mr Kemp said. “Every carton [we export] has got to be good and it has got to be right.

“We want to share what we have in the regions with the rest of the world.”

Green Skin Avocados was another agriculture innovator honoured at the event, with the Brisbane company receiving the Agribusiness, Food and Beverages award.

Susan Toft, the founder and CEO of Sunshine Coast-based The Laundry Lady, a marketplace for laundry services, won the Queensland category of the Women in International Business award.

The awards night was a homecoming for Ms Toft, who managed the event in 2017 and previously worked for eight years at Austrade.

“In those roles I was really fortunate to see lots of businesses export internationally and I have to say that that absolutely inspired me to create my business, The Laundry Lady, which we’re really proud has grown into a global marketplace for laundry,” Ms Toft said.

“We support over 600 laundry partners … many of them are women who we’re helping to have a sustainable, work-from home business.”

Kakadu Organics founder and CEO Kylie-Lee Bradford paid tribute to the support she had received from Trade and Investment Queensland as she accepted the First Nations Exporter award.

That support had been instrumental to Kakadu Organics’ ability to make the leap into exporting internationally, she said.

The proud Murrumburr woman said her products were a tribute to her mother, a traditional owner in the Kakadu region where Ms Bradford grew up.

“To go from growing up in an Aboriginal community to winning an award and being able to showcase to our people what’s possible is truly remarkable.”

The awards announced in Brisbane on 8 October also highlighted the growing role of innovation and technology in Queensland's export success.

Emesent has developed autonomous drone mapping technology that is used around the world. Infravision delivers technology solutions for powerline construction internationally and BiomeCentric exports health and biotechnology solutions.

Queensland’s advanced manufacturing capability was also recognised, with Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment, Phibion and Lock Jaw Ladder Grip receiving awards.

Winners of the 13 national award categories will represent Queensland at the Australian Export Awards in Canberra in November.

Businesses looking to start or expand their export journey can access support through the Queensland Exporter Academy, a free program delivered by Trade and Investment Queensland that helps businesses build the knowledge and capability needed to explore international opportunities.

Last updated:

21 October 2026