Do you run one of America’s best small businesses? SCORE is giving U.S. entrepreneurs two ways to compete for national glory.
The organization, which provides free business mentoring to small businesses, is accepting entries now for two award programs that it hosts.
The SCORE Awards are open to small businesses that were SCORE clients in the past year. Eleven such companies will be recognized during the SCORE Awards Gala on Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C.
The American Small Business Championship will award $15,000 grand prizes to three small business owners at the Sept. 13 gala. As part of that competition, each state and the District of Columbia will send two “American Small Business Champions” honorees apiece to SCORE’s National Training and Networking Celebration on April 23-26 in Reno, Nevada.
You can submit your company for consideration through this website. You’ll be asked how many people you employ, your 2017 revenues and other information, and you’ll need to either record a 30- to 60-second video or write an essay that answers the question: “What makes your business one of the best small businesses in your community?” (If you go the video route, it’ll need to be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo.)
If you apply for the SCORE Awards, you’ll also need to provide the name and email address of your mentor and write two short essays: “How has working with a SCORE mentor helped your business?” and “Please describe the specific ways that your business has been successful and how it will grow in the next year.”
The online application period ends at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Feb. 7. To be considered for the next round, your entry must receive at least 100 online votes by 5 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 14. The 102 American Small Business Champion honorees will be announced on March 27.
