For entrepreneurs, small business owners, and business leaders, applying for and winning prestigious awards is a great way to gain wider brand recognition, boost company morale, spark further growth and innovation, and give them recognition for the hard work of their employees and the innovation that they bring to their respective markets. In particular, national small business awards can also create some invaluable networking opportunities within the business community. Thankfully, for small business owners, many big awards are available for applications that draw attention to their product offerings, unique services, or even their level of innovation.
Here, we explore 10 of the most prestigious business awards companies seeking to scale their operations should be aware of, from niche concentrations to awards that recognize businesses as a whole. For businesses hoping to level up in 2025, winning any of these awards can be an excellent way to reach the top of their game and help increase awareness of their brands.
1. Stellar Business Awards
The Stellar Business Awards are some of the most comprehensive business awards available to both small and large organizations. Ranging from recognition of business excellence to regional niche awards, the Stellar Business Awards offer accolades for businesses such as PR companies, women-owned small businesses, and content marketing companies, just to name a few.
Businesses can apply online and solicit nominations from visitors to their websites or via social media. Winners are chosen based on several criteria, including their level of experience, innovation, and local impact.
2. Stevie Awards
Also known as the American Business Awards, the Stevie Awards are a great way to gain recognition for your business, your team, or even individuals making a significant contribution to your success. Open to all companies that operate out of the United States, the Stevie Awards are available for businesses that are solo-owned to large corporations.
Categories for the Stevie Awards run the gamut, from marketing distinction to recognition for top-performing salespeople, managers, or social media accounts. For businesses that want to gain a wider audience or show their individual team members how much they appreciate them, the Stevie Awards are a great option.
3. SBA Small Business Awards
The Small Business Administration (SBA) hands out its own awards for small businesses of distinction. Established over 60 years ago, the SBA Small Business Awards aim to uplift small business owners and highlight their companies’ achievements and resilience in tough times.
The SBA Awards also seek to showcase the jobs that small businesses create and their contribution to the national economy, and even hand out a signature award to the Small Business Person of the Year. Companies can either nominate themselves for the SBA Small Business Awards or fill out a submission on the administration’s website.
4. The Best of Small Business Awards
Growing companies have many awards specific to small businesses and their unique makeup, and the Best of Small Business Awards are some of the best. Hosted by the Small Business Expo — one of the largest trade show and expo organizations in the United States — these awards are designed specifically for privately owned businesses with less than 500 employees. They offer several award categories, including “Best App” and “Best Customer Service.”
5. America’s Top 100 Small Business Awards
Created as a list of winners from the United States Chamber of Commerce, the America’s Top 100 Small Business Awards is a way to be recognized along with your peers. Winning businesses receive a year-long membership to the Chamber, access to small business mentors, and even national recognition of their placement on the list of best businesses.
Best of all? Out of the 100 small businesses that win an award, 10 that are recognized as particularly great will receive a $2,000 grant, while the number-one winner will receive $25,000.
6. Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Given by Ernst & Young, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award is an excellent opportunity for individual business owners with a distinctive vision and innovative ideas to nominate themselves. Each year, the judges of these awards look for an independent business owner or retailer that has contributed significantly to their community.
However, it’s worth noting that this is a highly competitive award, with only one winner chosen and celebrated at an international award ceremony. The Entrepreneur of the Year award’s guidelines state that the nominee’s business must have been in operation for at least two years at the time of submission and that they have had a notable, demonstrable influence on their venture’s success.
7. Inc. Best in Business Awards
Inc. is one of the best-known magazines in the business world, and its Best in Business Awards celebrate businesses that have introduced extraordinary products or services to the market. While these awards initially focused only on US-based businesses that gave back to their communities, their more recent expanded scope has led to an awards program that recognizes businesses that have expanded their market reach, launched a successful new product, or are simply the best at what they do.
8. SCORE Awards
SCORE has been supporting the needs of small businesses for over 50 years, and the SCORE Awards are a well-known recognition program that awards companies that have significantly impacted their communities. SCORE is focused on strengthening the economy, especially local economies. In addition to awards for small businesses, they offer mentorships, yearly galas to celebrate everything about small businesses, and workshops to help small business owners build their ventures.
9. Great Place to Work
Giving your employees a chance to brag about their workplace, the Great Place to Work Award is a well-known award that many businesses go after to help attract and retain top talent. While anyone can say they offer a great work culture, these awards help make it “official” and proves that, as their website says, your work environment is a cut above the rest.
Businesses can also become “Great Place Certified,” a distinction based on over 30 years of research into workplaces and driven by actual employee feedback.
10. Best in Biz Awards
One of the only business awards voted on by a panel of judges made up of members of the press and industry analysts, the Best in Biz Awards offers 60 award categories in five focus areas designed to give niche small businesses a chance to shine. While the awards are open to organizations of all sizes, including large corporations, they have a special award that recognizes small businesses.
Business awards can be a fantastic way to market your brand, recognize a great team, and scale your business. As we enter a new year, researching and applying for excellence awards can be an excellent way to enter another year of business as “award-winning,” with all the perks and attention that can come with it.