Looking for a way to help your business stand out, gain credibility, and generate positive PR? Winning a business award is a great way to do just that. Whether you have a small budget and are looking for awards programs that have free submissions, or you have a budget and are willing to pay to enter there are many options to choose from. Below you will find annual small business awards that you can apply for and win now.

Dream Big Awards

https://www.uschamber.com/dream-big-awards

The US Chamber of Commerce partners with Chase for Business to recognize the best American small businesses. The Dream Big Awards honors the achievements of American small businesses and the contributions they make to their country’s economic growth. Award categories include small business of the year award, emerging business achievement award, sustainable business achievement award, minority-owned business achievement award, veteran-owned business achievement award, women-owned business achievement award, and the young entrepreneur achievement award. To be eligible, a business must be for-profit and operate in the United States, have less than 250 employees or a gross revenue less than $20 million, and provide in kind and/or financial support to their community. The winner of the Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award receives a $25,000 cash prize, a one-year paid membership to the US Chamber of Commerce, a promo video played at the Dream Big Gala, and a web sticker to display on their website.

You can get more information about the awards by signing up for their email list.

The Stevie Award

https://stevieawards.com/aba/stevie-award-0

The Stevie awards are the world’s premier business awards and were created to recognize and generate public awareness of excellence in the workplace worldwide. Every year the American Business Awards gives out The Stevie Award in various categories such as management, public relations, new products, marketing customer service, and more across eight different competitions. While many of the categories  require an entry fee, not all categories do. If you are on a budget, review the entry fee page here to see if you could enter in any of the free or lower cost categories. If you have additional questions, go to the frequently asked questions page.

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Best of Small Business Awards

https://www.thesmallbusinessexpo.com/awards/

The Best of Small Business Awards is the largest annual business recognition program and “America’s most prestigious honor” that celebrates small to mid-sized businesses. There are twenty-six “Best of Small Business” categories to choose from including entrepreneur of the year, best customer service, best small business of the year, best business coach, and best start-up of the year.

EY Entrepreneur of the Year

https://eoy.ey.com/home

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award is a unique and global program with the goal of supporting entrepreneurs by recognizing their achievement among individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, leadership, and success. The program has been in existence for over 30 years and operates in more than 60 countries around the world. Each year, regional winners are announced and then compete for the coveted spot of Entrepreneur of the Year. There is no cost to submit a nomination, however, businesses should be in existence for at least two years to be considered for this award. To learn more about this award go to the frequently asked questions page. Nominate your business here.

While winning a business award can do amazing things to build the credibility of your business, the simple act of submitting an entry for an award can benefit your business as well. Working through the nomination form can help show your employees that you value the work they are doing and think the work they are doing is award-worthy. Additionally, collecting the stories required for the award entry can help you reflect on your business and put together stories that can be leveraged for marketing materials. Even if you don’t win the award, you can be armed with a deeper understanding of what it would take to win an award that can help you do better if you choose to enter to win an award in the future. All in all, the process can be inspirational and give you something to work and strive for.

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