Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about nominating a business for the Ridge Meadows Business Excellence Awards.
We've made a few updates to the award categories for this year. The Home-Based Business of the Year category has been retired. The Young Entrepreneur of the Year award has been renamed to Young Professional of the Year, celebrating any young professional (under 40) who demonstrates exceptional leadership in their field — not just business owners. We've also introduced a new Entrepreneur of the Year award for individuals who own and operate a business. Entrepreneur of the Year recognizes a business owner who built and grew their company, while Business Leader of the Year honours a leader within a business or organization who may not be an owner. Both celebrate outstanding leadership, just in different roles.
Nominations are open from September 1st through November 2nd at 11:59 PM. Nominees can then submit their full nomination packages for judging from September 1st through November 6th at 5:00 PM.
If a person or business has won an award, they cannot be nominated again in the award category they won for two years following. For example, if Maple Washing Inc. won Home Based Business of the Year in 2025, they cannot be nominated in that category until 2028. However, they may be nominated in a new or separate category.
Members of the Ridge Meadows Chamber Board of Directors cannot be nominated in any category.
The Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce audits and approves each nomination before the nominee is informed of their nomination and asked to submit their nomination package. This review process verifies that the nominee is submitted into the correct category.
Yes. Nominees can be nominated in multiple categories when applicable.