Current Awards to Enter 

Here’s your December snapshot of business and tech awards with deadlines this month.
These are programs where we’re seeing strong ROI for visibility, credibility, and deal flow.

All deadlines below fall in December 2025 unless otherwise noted.
 

1) National Business & Growth Awards

CO-100 America’s Top 100 Businesses – U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• Category: Small business growth & innovation

• Deadline: December 31, 2025

• Region: USA

• Who it’s for: High-growth U.S. small businesses with a compelling innovation and growth story.

• Why it matters: Strong national credibility from the U.S. Chamber; good for sales decks, investor materials, and “fast-growth” positioning.

• Details: https://www.uschamber.com/co-100

Deloitte Best Managed Companies – Deloitte

• Category: Management excellence / private companies

• Deadline: December 31, 2025

• Region: USA

• Who it’s for: Well-run, privately held companies with strong management practices and performance.

• Why it matters: Pairs nicely with any Deloitte Fast 500 / growth story you already have; great signal for boards, PE/VC, and recruiting.

• Details: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/services/deloitte-private/about/best-managed-companies.html

2) Brand & Innovation (Great for Tech and Consumer Companies)

Fast Company – Brands That Matter – Fast Company

• Category: Brand impact & storytelling

• Deadline: December 31, 2025

• Region: USA

• Who it’s for: Brands with a clear mission, strong narrative, and visible impact (social, cultural, or category-defining).

• Why it matters: Powerful logo for websites, investor decks, and hiring; aligns brand story with impact, not just growth.

• Details: https://www.fastcompany.com/brands-that-matter

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Fast Company – Most Innovative Companies – Fast Company

• Category: Innovation & product leadership

• Deadline: December 31, 2025

• Region: USA

• Who it’s for: Companies with clear proof points of innovation—product, platform, business model, or go-to-market.

• Why it matters: Still one of the most recognized innovation lists; strong credibility with partners, media, and talent.

• Details: https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies

3) Broad Business / Sales & Growth

August Business Awards (U.S. National) – August Awards

• Category: Business & sales performance

• Deadline: December 31, 2025

• Region: USA (national)

• Who it’s for: U.S. businesses that can quantify sales performance and innovation.

• Why it matters: Lower friction (free entry) with a focus on metrics; good option if you want one more business case study live this year.

• Details: https://www.augustawards.org/us/national-sales-awards-business-awards/

4) Local & Regional “Best of Business” and Growth Programs

Across the American City Business Journals and regional business press, there is a cluster of programs with December 31, 2025 deadlines, including:

• Business of the Year – local “company of the year” programs in markets like:
  Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Washington D.C., and others.

• Fastest Growing Companies – revenue-growth focused lists in many of the same markets.

What to do:
 

• If you have offices, customers, or a meaningful footprint in any of these metros, these programs are a relatively low-cost way to get local press, sales enablement proof points, and recruiting visibility.

• To locate the exact program for your market, search:

  “[Your City] Business Journal Business of the Year”
  “[Your City] Business Journal Fastest Growing Companies”