Applications close September 30; award ceremony set for December 11 at Shangri-La Colombo

The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) opened applications for the 34th NCE Export Awards, the Chamber’s Flagship event and the country's longest-running recognition programme for exporters, at a launch held at the Mandarina Hotel. Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2026, ahead of the main award ceremony on December 11 at the Main Ballroom of Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo.

Delivering the welcome address, NCE President Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa stated this year marks an unbroken 34-year run for the Export Awards, held every year since its inception despite the several crises such as Tsunami, the Easter Sunday attacks, the pandemic and other setbacks that have tested the export community over the decades. 

"The NCE Export Awards is much more than an awards ceremony. It is a national platform that recognises, honours, motivates and rewards the outstanding achievements of Sri Lankan exporters who have brought pride to our country." Mr. Rajapaksa said.

Sri Lanka's export earnings exceeded US$17 billion in 2025, with apparel and textiles again the largest contributor at more than US$5 billion, followed by tea, coconut-based products, food and beverages, spices, rubber, gems and jewellery, and a fast-growing ICT and BPM services segment. Export earnings for the first five months of 2026 had reached close to US$7.4 billion, made up of US$5.76 billion in merchandise and US$1.63 billion in services, an increase of more than 7%  over the same period last year.

Mr. Rajapaksa linked this performance to the government's target of around US$19 billion in export earnings for 2026 under the National Export Development Strategy for 2026 to 2030. In this backdrop, the president called on exporters, NCE members and non-members alike, to apply, as winning an NCE Export Award has become a hallmark of excellence in Sri Lanka and a mark of credibility in international markets. The recognition is a way for companies to build their reputation and set themselves apart from competitors.

NCE Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer Shiham Marikar explained the judging framework, which weighs financial and export performance alongside market development, branding, ethical business practice, good governance and human resource development, with special recognition given to innovation, value addition and research and development. Entries are judged against three sustainability pillars : People, Planet and Profit, in line with the government's economic development priorities. Sector awards include Gold, Silver and Bronze, in addition to several special awards including the very prestigious award for the Most Outstanding Exporter.

The Chamber received 154 applications for last year's awards and is projecting close to 175 this year, spread across four turnover-based categories, from Small (under LKR 100 million in annual export turnover) to Extra Large (above LKR 1.5 billion), and three main sectors covering exporters of products, exporters of business and professional services, and suppliers to exporters. Two new sectors, Beauty and Personal Care and Stationery, have been added this year, taking the total number of eligible sectors to 40. Application fees range from LKR 25,000 for NCE members in the Small category to LKR 60,000 for non-members in the Extra Large category, plus VAT. Guidelines and the application form are available at www.nce.lk.

Onalie Dissanayake, Chairperson of the NCE Panel of Judges, briefed the gathering on how entries are assessed. Applications first go  through a compliance check, before a technical committee scores them against the Chamber's criteria and the Panel of Judges reviews those marks to confirm the winners. Incomplete submissions, or entries missing audited accounts and authorisation letters, have led to disqualifications in past years, and thus applicants are urged to complete every section with utmost diligence. 

Deepal Perera, Head of Sales at Ex-Pack Corrugated Cartons PLC, addressed the gathering as the Export Awards' main sponsor. Ex-Pack, Sri Lanka's largest corrugated packaging manufacturer and an exporter in its own right, has partnered with the NCE for ten years, moving from strategic partner to main sponsor over that time. 

Delivering the closing remarks, Lakshan Algama, Chairman of the NCE Event Sub-Committee, highlighted how the Export Awards have built a reputation for credibility, prestige and recognition of export excellence over more than three decades, and encouraged exporters to apply , as the process provides a chance for exporters to benchmark their own performance as well. 

The evening closed with the presentation of application kits to past NCE Export Award winners by Mr. Rajapaksa, Mr. Marikar and Ms. Dissanayake.

The event’s main partners include Ex-Pack Corrugated Cartons PLC as main sponsor, Ernst & Young as strategic knowledge partner, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited as media partner and Dialog Enterprise as the Digital Technology Partner..