2025 Black Tie Awards Gala

ABOUT The Black Tie Awards

Since 1996, the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce has proudly hosted the Black Tie Awards – Cowichan Valley’s premier celebration of excellence. This prestigious biennial event shines a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of local businesses, individuals, and organizations across the Cowichan Valley Regional District, honouring their hard work and dedication. Over the years, the Black Tie Awards have become a beloved tradition that brings our community together to celebrate success and community spirit.

Evolving Award Categories

The Black Tie Awards continually evolve to reflect the dynamic spirit of our community. In recent years, exciting new award categories have been introduced, such as New Business and Community Builder, to recognize emerging enterprises and those making lasting community impacts. Other categories have been refreshed or expanded – including Exceptional Customer Experience, Arts & Culture, and Environmental Excellence – ensuring we honour excellence in a wide range of fields. At the same time, we continue to celebrate returning favourites like Volunteer of the Year, Young Entrepreneur, and three distinct Business Excellence awards (for small, medium, and large businesses), so that organizations of all sizes are recognized for their contributions.

Community-Driven Nominations

One of the hallmarks of the Black Tie Awards is that nominations come directly from you – the members of our vibrant community. Your participation ensures a diverse, representative pool of nominees every cycle, highlighting the breadth of talent and dedication in the Cowichan Valley. The 2025 awards saw an outpouring of support, with over 200 nominations recognizing nearly 140 exceptional businesses, organizations, and individuals. We are deeply grateful for this enthusiastic community involvement, as it is the community’s voice that makes these honours truly meaningful.

Highlights of the 2025 Gala

Our latest Black Tie Awards Gala event was held on April 11, 2025, marking the 25th anniversary of this celebration. The Chemainus Theatre Festival venue came alive that night with energy, pride, and community spirit as we rolled out the red carpet for Cowichan’s stars. The evening was nothing short of inspiring – a sold-out gala filled with tuxedos, gowns, and heartfelt celebration of the people and businesses that make Cowichan extraordinary. We shared the spotlight with 27 inspiring finalists across nine categories, each exemplifying the determination, creativity, and generosity that fuel our region.

One of the most emotional highlights was a standing ovation for our Lifetime Achievement Award honouree, whose decades of dedication to the community moved everyone in attendance. 2025 also saw the introduction of the inaugural Community Builder Award, presented to its first-ever recipient in recognition of hands-on community impact and volunteerism. As each winner was announced, the room buzzed with excitement – from exceptional customer service champions to environmental stewards and young entrepreneurs, every story reinforced the passion behind Cowichan’s thriving business community. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who participated in the 2025 gala, whether as nominees, finalists, volunteers, sponsors, or attendees. Your support is what makes this event so special.

Looking Ahead to 2027

As we reflect on the memories made during the 25th Black Tie Awards, we are already filled with anticipation for what’s to come. The Black Tie Awards occur every other year, so the next Black Tie Awards Gala will take place in 2027 (date to be announced). We can’t wait to see you there! The Chamber looks forward to celebrating more extraordinary accomplishments and inspiring stories from our community in our next edition of the awards.

Thank you, Cowichan Valley, for making the Black Tie Awards an unforgettable celebration of excellence – time after time. Your enthusiasm and community spirit are the heart of this event, and we’re excited to continue this tradition of excellence together.