A new online portal has been launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration to accept nominations for its 2013 National Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year award.
The dedicated web portal, accessible at http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.sba.gov/, will make it easier to submit and track submissions of nominees for Small Business Week 2013, and is now actively accepting nominations of noteworthy small businesses.
“This year is the 50th celebration of National Small Business Week. I invite you to join SBA in honoring our nation’s 27 million small businesses, as we have since 1963, by recognizing the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions to their local communities and to our nation’s economy,” said SBA Regional Administrator Natalia Olson-Urtecho. “The businesses we will honor this year embody the very best of America’s entrepreneurial spirit.”
SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small Business Week include the following:
- National Small Business Person of the Year (chosen from among state award winners from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam)
- Phoenix Awards (recognizing outstanding accomplishments during disaster recovery)
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence (recognizes large prime contractors who have used small businesses as suppliers and contractors)
- SBA 8(a) Graduate of the Year (for recent graduates of the SBA’s 8(a) contracting program)
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award (nominations of SBA-funded SBDC Service Centers)
- Women’s Business Center (WBCs) of Excellence Award (nominations of SBA-funded WBCs)
- Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award (nominations of SBA-funded Veterans Business Outreach Centers)
In addition to the portal, nominations can also be sent directly to SBA District Offices, which can be located online at http://www.sba.gov/about-offices-list/2. All nominations must be submitted or postmarked to the SBA by January 3, 2013. Winners of the Small Business Person of the Year awards and winners in the other award categories will be invited to Washington, D.C., to compete for national titles and to attend National Small Business Week events in 2013.
