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Our office presents national and district level awards. National-level awards, including Small Business Person of the Year, go on to compete for additional recognition and some winners are invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The district level winners are honored locally. Read on for general guidelines for all available District Office awards.
Nominees for this award must meet both of the following eligibility requirements:
Any legal resident of the United States or its Territories who owns and operates or who bears principal responsibility for operating a small business may be nominated. Partners who jointly own and operate a small business may be nominated as a “team,” so long as the number of individuals in the team nomination does not exceed four (4).
Nominations must contain the information below. Incomplete nomination packages will not be considered.
All nominations must be submitted electronically to the upload link in the "About the District Office awards" section below. Nominations should be scanned and submitted as one full document. Photo should be submitted as a separate attachment.
Nominations must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. ET on December 5, 2024 (3:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. MT/1:00 p.m. PT).
In evaluating the nomination packages, the judges will look at the following criteria:
The District Office Award will be selected by the appropriate District Director based on, but not restricted to, the recommendations of the panel of judges of federal or non-federal employees.
To be nominated and receive one of the following local awards, the small business nominee must fit within the category of the award, demonstrate success in business, and complete and submit the required nomination package information. Incomplete packages will not be accepted.
Read on for local award nomination criteria and to submit your nomination(Link is external).
An individual who has fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of small business opportunities for minority business owners may be nominated, or a minority-owned small business owner has experienced the rewards and difficulties of owning their own business. Champion nominees may or may not be small business owners.
An individual who has fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of small business opportunities for veterans of the U.S. armed forces may be nominated, or a veteran small business owner who has experienced the rewards and difficulties of owning their own business. Champion nominees may or may not be veterans.
An individual who has fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of women’s business ownership may be nominated, or a women-owned small business owner who has experienced the rewards and difficulties of owning their own business. Champion nominees may or may not be small business owners.
SBA will make the above referenced awards to eligible small businesses at the New Jersey District level only. Awards for Small Business Person of the Year and Exporter of the Year will be forwarded for National competition.Box