Episode III
The cool companies strike back

What’s brighter than a supernova, growing faster than Jabba the Hut and not from a galaxy far, far away? It’s time to fire up your Millennium Falcon and feel the Force as we unveil the winners of Anthill Magazine’s 3rd Annual Cool Company Awards.
The Anthill Magazine Cool Company Awards are all about recognising rule-changing behaviours that bring about positive change.

So why all the Star Wars imagery and bad sci-fi metaphors?

Well, after three year’s pioneering and hosting Australia’s most ‘off-the-planet’ business awards program, we’ve begun to understand a few things about the ‘stellar’ organisations that enter each year.

We’re not just stroking our Wookiees when we say that every year the quality of applicant organisations simply blows our minds, faster than a pin-hole leak in a zero-gravity compression chamber.

It’s also fair to say that most our Cool Company applicants, whether or not they reach the orbit of our Top 50 or even attract intergalactic fame as a Winner, have a few things in common.

Firstly, cool companies don’t always take themselves too seriously. (They’re happy to enter an awards program based on the highly subjective concept of ‘cool’ for a start.)

Like their jumpsuit-wearing cosmic counterparts, cool company captains possess a sense of adventure. While they are clear in their goals, they understand that meteor showers and the occasional radiation storm are all part of the journey. And their ability to laugh in the face of adversity is always Solo-worthy.

Secondly, they understand their role in the broader commercial ecosystem.

They understand their place among a galaxy of competing interests, without losing site of what’s important. Like a good Jedi, they are led by conscience and not simply the spoils of intergalactic conquest. They understand that while the destination is important, it is never worth pursuing at all cost.

Lastly, irrespective of age, they are young at heart.

With the youthful enthusiasm of Skywalker and the wisdom of Obe Wan, they embrace their strengths and their flaws. They engage their employees and customers as informed benefactors of their organisation’s success, rather than employ mere drones as cogs in the maintenance of a commercial ‘Death Star’.

Of course, while there are many other reasons why we chose to adopt this year’s theme (ie. Geek is the new cool, we knew the cover would be eye-ball-popping, Anthill Editor-In-Chief James Tuckerman wanted an excuse to dress up as a Storm Trooper), the deciding factor came from the strength of science fiction as a medium to challenge conventions, bring about constantly change and never let us grow old. Now that’s cool.