Start The New Year By Applying for Contests and Awards


This list of contests, competitions and awards for small businesses is brought to you every other week as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

Also, if you’ve entered and won a contest or award listed here, let us know so we can share your news.


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Trusted Business - Visual MarketingTrusted Business – Earn a Green Shield
Ongoing

Be one of the first 50 to earn a “Green Shield” at TrustedBusiness.com, and you will win an autographed copy of the new book “Visual Marketing”, co-authored by Small Business Trends‘ CEO, Anita Campbell.

To earn a Green Shield you have to get at least 100 trust points for your business. Good while supplies last. More information here.

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LegalZoom Free Commerical Contest
Enter through December 31, 2011

Contest participants are asked to create a 25-second commercial featuring their business, and upload the video to the LegalZoom Facebook page, where the contest winner will be selected through a voting system.

LegalZoom will purchase a minimum of $20,000 of airtime for the winning commercial to be broadcast to a national audience. That translates to a minimum of 50 free spots for the winning business owner.

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2012 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award
Enter by January 6, 2012

US Chamber Small Business SummitNominate an outstanding business from your community or submit your own application for the 2012 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam’s Club.

All award winners will be honored during America’s Small Business Summit on May 22 in Washington, DC. Blue Ribbon Award® winners will receive one complimentary registration to attend the Summit, courtesy of Sam’s Club. Nominations are due January 6, and applications are due January 13. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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MacMall Medical Office Makeover Contest
Enter by January 16, 2012

The Medical Office Makeover Contest features a prize for larger offices with 11 or more employees valued at nearly $17,000, and a prize for offices with 1-10 employees valued at over $6,000. The highly sought after products featured in the contest include Ergotron carts; HP workstations, monitors and digital signs; Fujitsu scanners; Wasp time and attendance tracking; Nuance medical dictation, and other high-value hardware and software from Xerox, Plantronics, Fellowes, ioSafe, Meraki, and Dymo.

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Vision 33 Small Business Makeover Contest
Enter by January 31, 2012

This holiday season, one lucky small business will win the SAP Business One Starter Package, 40 hours of professional services and maintenance from Vision33 for a year! There is no charge, no expectations and no purchase necessary to enter the Small Business Makeover Contest – all you have to do is fill out an online form and tell why you think your business deserves to win.

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Tibbetts Awards 2012
Enter by January 31, 2012

The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for its Tibbetts Awards, recognizing small-business research and innovation. The awards recognize companies that have taken part in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Three awards will be given, one for companies that have participated in the SBIR/STTR programs, one for individuals who advocate on behalf of the programs, and a third “Hall of Fame” award recognizing companies that have a track record of success in research, innovation and product commercialization within the SBIR or STTR program.

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PA Tech Awards 2012
Enter by February 1, 2012

Nominations for winners in eight categories will be accepted on the event’s new website in a unique, open format. Every submitted nomination in every category can be viewed immediately by visitors to the site and shared to social media channels, delivering increased global visibility for all nominees. The annual gala on March 30, 2012 celebrates and honors the brightest technology leaders and innovators from across the state.

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The Amazing Entrepreneur
Enter by February 29, 2012

The 2nd Annual Amazing Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition is an initiative by Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development and The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to foster new business development in Gwinnett County, GA. The contest is open to individuals who own or manage a small business, which has been in operation less than 36 months, in Gwinnett County.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $2500 cash to be used solely for the business entering the contest, a trip to Sage Software’s Customer Conference in Nashville, TN (airfare, hotel stay, conference fees), one-year membership to Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, one-year participation in the Chamber’s Gwinnett Business Institute program ($180 value), a consultation with an attorney from Arnall Golden Gregory ($2500 value), and research assistance from Chamber’s economic development department

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To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar.
If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it’s free).

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

3 Comments ▼

Laura Leites Laura Leites plans and manages events for clients through her company, L2 Event Production. Laura's projects include the Small Business Influencer Awards, The Small Business Summit, and many of SmallBizTechnology's live and virtual events, including the five-city Small Business Technology Tour.

3 Reactions
  1. I am curios to learn more about TrustedBusiness.com. Great to see an ongoing award.

    • Hi Martin,

      TrustedBusiness was created by the folks at Apptivo.com. I think it’s an interesting “crowd-sourced” take on a trust seal.

      – Anita

  2. Martin Lindeskog

    Anita: Thanks for the information. It will be interesting to follow the journey of the trusted businesses that are participating in the future.