Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 National Small Business Week (NSBW) Awards by the SBA New York District Office. The NSBW Awards recognize the achievements of SBA-assisted small businesses and the contributions they have made to their communities and our nation's economy.

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(Photo: SBA)

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"The SBA New York District is excited to further support our small businesses and entrepreneurs in 2022. We're looking for your nominations for National Small Business Week 2022's National and District Awards, including our Small Businessperson of the Year," said District Director Beth L. Goldberg, who leads the nation's largest SBA district office.

"The past twenty months have been challenging as small businesses across industries adapted and pivoted to meet the demands of COVID across metro New York. That's why we're asking our neighbors to nominate a small business owner who utilized any SBA program, like the Paycheck Protection Program, COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant or even our traditional funding programs for these honors. Even if you have utilized services provided by resource partners like Small Business Development Centers or SCORE make you eligible to be considered," Goldberg added.

"Self-nominations are also encouraged to help further highlight our vibrant small business community from New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley," she said.

To nominate a small business owner located in the SBA New York District, you must apply securely online via sba.gov/nsbw.  Applicants can learn more about nomination guidelines, download the required Background and Nomination Forms and submit them via the proper national or district upload link. For National Small Business Week 2022, no paper or mailed forms will be accepted; all nominations must be made online. SBA New York District Nomination Guidelines are available here.

All nominations must be submitted electronically by 3 p.m. ET on January 11, 2022. The awards will be presented during National Small Business Week in early May 2022.  Nominations for the following categories are now being accepted:

District Awards

  • Small Businessperson of the Year
  • Minority Small Business Champion or Minority Small Business of the Year
  • Veteran Small Business Champion or Veteran Small Business of the Year
  • Women in Business Champion or Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year

National Awards

  • Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery:
    • Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
    • Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official
    • Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer
  • Federal Procurement Awards:
    • Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
    • Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
    • Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence (for large prime contractors who use small businesses as suppliers and contractors)
    • 8(a) Graduate of the Year
  • Awards to SBA Resource Partners:
    • Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Center Award
    • Women's Business Center of Excellence Award
    • Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year
  • Small Business Investment Company of the Year

The winners of the SBA New York District Office Small Businessperson of the Year award will also be sent to the SBA Atlantic Regional Office for judging; one regional winner for New York State will be named and sent to Washington for consideration as a national awardee. All other awards nominations are sent electronically through the appropriate SBA program office.

If you or your business have won a National Small Business Week Award in the past three (3) years, you are ineligible for the same award until that time period expires.

For more than 50 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration has celebrated National Small Business Week (NSBW), which recognizes the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The SBA New York District serves the 14 counties of Metro New York; award nominations may be submitted to the New York District from small business owners in the following counties of service: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

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