Nominations open for Board of Trade Business Awards 2026
Nominations are open for the 2026 Business Awards, proudly presented by RBC. With nine unique award categories plus the coveted Business of the Year category, the event celebrates the people and organizations driving our business community forward.
It’s more than just an awards show, it’s a celebration of community.
Whether you’re nominating yourself or someone else, this is your chance to shine a spotlight on excellence. The big show is set for Nov. 26.
Nominations are open from July 9th to Sept. 15th.
2026 Award Categories
Opportunity Seeker Award
Is your business an innovator? Strategic thinker? Sees opportunity where others see obstacles? Is creativity and ingenuity at the heart of what you do? Maybe you deployed new ways to communicate and connect with your customers, or you were able to build new relationships with market segments that you didn’t connect with before. Perhaps you established or enhanced a stellar communications, sales, and/or marketing strategy or invested in an idea that is now starting to show profit.
Boundary Pusher Award
This award celebrates those businesses that think differently. A “boundary pusher” means you’re the type of business who isn’t afraid to take a risk or two to stay competitive. You’re the bold business that everyone is paying attention to and trying to figure out what you have in that secret sauce – surely a dash of courage, leadership, and some uncertainty (just the way you like it!).
If you tend to operate your business differently, we want to hear from you. Whether you pivoted to focus your business in a different direction, or if you expanded, altered or changed your offering, including your products and/or services, please tell us how you applied a new or unexpected way of thinking to the way you do things and inspire others (staff, colleagues, partners, etc.) to do the same.
Service Star Award
This award celebrates a service-based business that is best-in-class when it comes to building new connections and enhancing existing relationships with customers this past year (September 2025 to September 2026). Tailoring your business to see customer service as the cornerstone of performance is how you’ve differentiated yourself and created a strong brand image that keeps that customer coming back for more.
You’ve found ways to launch new service offering(s), developed a new or innovative way to reach customers, and you take pride in how you positively and effectively approach challenges your customers face (constantly instilling that service standard pride in others). Whatever the specific circumstance, if you switched things up to better serve your customers, this is the award for you.
Community Champion Award
Two awards will be given in this category: One award for businesses with 20+ employees and one award for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
Giving back to your community is part of your business’ DNA. If you found a great way to support your community, this is the award for you.
You’re the business that cares. From pitching in to help neighbours to supporting philanthropic and/or social causes that caused you to launch new business initiatives, the Community Champion of 2026 celebrates a business that has made outstanding contributions to the community through donations, time, effort and/or other means.
Business Builder Award
Is your business booming like never before? Did your business experience an increase in popular demand for your product(s) and/or service(s)? Did you see a significant growth in sales, market share, or team this past year (September 2025 to September 2026)? The Business Builder of 2026 will be a business that made outstanding leaps in success and growth to their bottom line and as a result, built a stronger presence in the market.
Culture Creator Award
This award recognizes the role that people play in your business, and those businesses who create a space where everyone gets to be themselves, where hard work and commitment are recognized, and where corporate culture is central to the overall vision.
The Culture Creator of 2026 will be a business where culture isn’t just a buzzword—it’s built into everything they do. From leadership to daily operations, they’ve created a workplace that’s engaging, respectful, inspiring, built to bring out the best in their people. Because when you invest in your team, everyone wins.
Leading the Way: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Award
Two awards will be given in this category: One award for businesses with 20+ employees and one award for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
This award celebrates businesses who fully believe that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) is not just a box to tick, but an element that brings tremendous positive impact to the landscape of their business, their employees, community, and the world. It’s for the business that isn’t afraid to embrace change, have candid conversations around the importance of improving DEIB and who are firmly committed to standing in solidarity with those who are underrepresented.
Demonstrating a commitment to DEIB in the workplace (from September 2025-September 2026), the business who receives this award will be recognized as one who has made significant efforts throughout the year to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for people from all backgrounds. This award is open to businesses that solely focus on promoting DEIB within the community, as well as businesses that are making strides to promote and create policies to increase DEIB within their community and workspace.
2025 Award Winners
Opportunity Seeker: Orangestore
Business Builder: trophi.ai
Service Star: Pari MD
Boundary Pusher: YYT Hospitality Group
Community Champion (1–19 Employees): Health Care Foundation
Community Champion (20+ Employees): Neighbourhood Thrift Store (Choices for Youth)
Culture Creator: Sequence Bio
Leading the Way: DEIB (1–19 Employees): Easter Seals Newfoundland & Labrador
Leading the Way: DEIB (20+ Employees): Genoa Design International
2025 Business of the Year: Icewater Seafoods
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