On 12 November 2026, the South African Small Business Awards Gala Breakfast will celebrate 18 years of entrepreneurial excellence, bringing together leading brands, business leaders, entrepreneurs and the media at Silverstar, Johannesburg, for the grand culmination of Small Business Friday.
The prestigious event will recognise extraordinary entrepreneurial achievement and culminate in the live crowning of the 2026 South African Small Business Awards Champions.
And this year, something even bigger is coming.
NSBC Africa will use this landmark occasion to unveil an ambitious new chapter for Small Business Friday, with a bold national vision to unite corporate South Africa, entrepreneurs and consumers behind the growth of small business.
Celebrating the entrepreneurs who build South Africa
Now in its 18th year, the South African Small Business Awards is an established platform celebrating the entrepreneurs and small businesses driving innovation, creating employment and strengthening the South African economy.
“Behind every award is an extraordinary entrepreneurial journey. These are the people who take risks, create opportunities, build our economy and inspire a nation. They deserve to be celebrated,” said Mike Anderson, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of NSBC Africa.
The Gala Breakfast promises an inspiring morning of entrepreneurial recognition, business leadership and celebration, culminating in the crowning of South Africa’s 2026 small business champions.
A bold new chapter for Small Business Friday
As the prestigious annual culmination of Small Business Friday, the Awards will also provide the stage for a major announcement about the movement’s future.
NSBC Africa’s vision is to take Small Business Friday to unprecedented heights, inspiring millions of South Africans to support small businesses and mobilising leading corporate brands behind one national mission:
“We’re preparing to take Small Business Friday to an entirely new level – uniting corporate South Africa, entrepreneurs and millions of consumers behind one powerful national mission. More customers. More sales. Stronger businesses. More jobs. A stronger South Africa,” Mr Anderson said.
The ambition is to make supporting small businesses an everyday choice across South Africa, extending the movement’s influence far beyond a single Friday.
“Imagine hundreds of thousands of small businesses proudly displaying the Small Business Friday identity in shop windows across the country, supported by leading brands and millions of consumers choosing to shop small. That is the scale of our vision,” Mr Anderson added.
12 November: A defining moment
For 18 years, NSBC Africa has championed entrepreneurial growth, sustainability and success.
The 2026 South African Small Business Awards Gala Breakfast promises to be a significant milestone, celebrating the country’s entrepreneurial champions while setting the stage for the next chapter of Small Business Friday.
“I want 12 November 2026 to be remembered not only as an unforgettable celebration of entrepreneurial excellence, but as the moment we inspired an entire nation to stand behind small business,” Mr Anderson said.
