We’re very proud to share that Pest2Kill has been named a finalist across three categories in the 2026 Smart50 Awards: Community Hero, Marketing and People Power.
Even better, it’s the second consecutive year we’ve been recognised across all three.
Run by SmartCompany, the Smart50 Awards celebrate Australia’s most innovative and successful small and medium businesses, recognising the companies and people driving growth, innovation and impact across the country. Alongside the overall Smart50 list, the awards recognise standout businesses across areas including marketing, people and culture, community, innovation and sustainability.
For us, being recognised across three very different areas of the business makes this one particularly special.
Community Hero Award
Giving back with more than a cheque
Community has become a genuine part of how Pest2Kill operates. Our Community Hero entry highlighted:
- Practical support where we can make a difference, including more than 60 complimentary pest control services for Women’s Community Shelters and ongoing free pest management services for Our Big Kitchen.
- Backing causes and communities close to us, from raising more than $14,000 for the Children’s Cancer Institute through Dare to Cure, to supporting Sydney FC Foundation inclusive football programs and local schools, sporting clubs and community events.
- Using what makes Pest2Kill different to engage the community, including our Racing Roaches and Bugtacular program, which has introduced more than 1,700 children to insects, biodiversity and the important role bugs play in our environment.
Across these initiatives, Pest2Kill’s community contribution has reached over $70,000 in services, sponsorships, fundraising and support.
Marketing Award
Making pest control a brand people actually remember
As an independent Sydney business, we compete with multinational pest control companies with significantly larger marketing budgets. We’re unlikely to win by simply trying to outspend them, so our approach has been to be more creative, more local and more willing to experiment.
Our Marketing Award entry showcased:
- Our Racing Roaches, which have become one of Pest2Kill’s most recognisable marketing assets, appearing at schools, fun runs, community events and fundraisers while generating social engagement, media interest and genuine brand recognition.
- Turning our own pest data and expertise into news, using insights from thousands of services to create Pest Trends research and PR campaigns that have generated media coverage and positioned our technicians and team as experts on what’s happening across Sydney.
- Connecting creative marketing to commercial growth, combining PR and brand campaigns with SEO, Google Ads, social media, LinkedIn and targeted local marketing as Pest2Kill has continued to expand across Sydney.
Our philosophy is pretty simple: we don’t need to make pest control glamorous. We just need to make it memorable.
People Power Award
Building a company people want to be part of
Pest2Kill has grown considerably over the past few years, and one of our biggest priorities has been making sure our culture grows with us.
Our People Power entry focused on:
- Actually listening to our team, including monthly anonymous technician surveys and regular feedback loops that give our frontline team a genuine voice in how the business operates.
- Creating connection and recognition, through initiatives including our weekly Lunch Club, team socials, celebrating individual and team wins and supporting our people outside of work.
- Keeping our culture strong through growth, expanding to more than 30 people across Sydney while creating opportunities for internal progression and maintaining strong employee and customer satisfaction.
Our latest measures included a 9.12/10 technician satisfaction score, alongside a 9.3/10 customer satisfaction score and more than 1,000 five-star Google reviews.
Three categories that mean a lot to us
What makes these finalist places particularly meaningful is how different the three categories are.
Community. Marketing. People.
Together, they represent a big part of the business we’re trying to build at Pest2Kill: one that grows commercially without losing its personality, looks after its people and uses that growth to make a positive contribution to the communities around us.
To be recognised across all three for the second year running is something our whole team can be incredibly proud of.
Now we wait for awards night!
To read more about the awards and see the complete list of finalists, please refer to this article on The 2026 Smart50 Awards category finalists.
