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A civic recognition programmeWashington, DC

Methodology

How recognition is decided

Our editors choose the honorees, using public information only. Every honoree gets a written note, and a category can be empty.

What the editors look at

Criterion
Documented Public Benefit
Commercial Performance
Workforce & Community Impact
Governance & Ethics
Innovation

The editors look at these five areas. None has a percentage attached, and there is no scoring panel.

How honorees are selected

  1. 1

    Public information

    The editors read what anyone can find about a business: the documents it puts out itself, its public listings and public records.

  2. 2

    Selection

    Editors decide which businesses appear in each category. Businesses do not apply, do not pay a fee and do not fill in any form.

  3. 3

    Editorial note

    Every honoree gets a qualitative note from the editors, posted with its location and a date.

  4. 4

    Publication

    You will find honorees on the category pages, in the cycle index and in the dated press notes.

Empty categories

If the editors list no business in a category, that category stays empty. No winner pays a fee for inclusion.

Published by the USA National Business Awards editorial team. Honorees are selected by our editors based on a published evaluation of publicly available information. Editorial notes are the editors' qualitative judgments. They are not lab results or legal certifications.