2025 National and District Small Business Week Awards

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Eastern Pennsylvania District Office seeks small business with exceptional innovation, growth, community engagement or resilience, to put them in the spotlight for the 2025 National and District Small Business Week Awards, including the annual Small Business Person of the Year Award. Self-nominations are encouraged and accepted. Don't miss the opportunity to honor the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our economy forward.

This esteemed annual event aims to recognize the remarkable contributions of small businesses nationwide. Last year, the SBA's Eastern Pennsylvania District Office, which serves the 40 counties of eastern Pennsylvania, honored local winners from Berks, Bucks, Lycoming, Montgomery, Northampton, and Tioga counties, representing industries including professional services, engineering, food production, farming, manufacturing, and retail.

Pennsylvania's small businesses are essential to our communities – creating jobs, inspiring innovation, and delivering the goods and services our nation and world has come to depend on. Small Business Week is a showcase of talent, ambition, and the economic impact of entrepreneurship on our local economies.

The business should have been in operation a minimum of three years prior to being nominated, and should have received at least one type of SBA assistance such as, but not limited to, an SBA loan, SCORE counseling, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) assistance, Veteran's Business Outreach Center (VBOC) assistance, Women's Business Center (WBC) assistance, government contracting assistance, disaster assistance, T.H.R.I.V.E/Emerging Leaders Initiative, or Boots to Business training, etc.

A nomination package will require a completed background form (SBA Form 3300), the SBA District Office Award Form (SBA Form 3315), Marketing Release Form, Digital Photo, and the SBA Small Business Person of the Year (SBA Form 3301).

To nominate a small business owner and download related forms, criteria, and guidelines, visit www.sba.gov/nsbw. District Award categories and nomination related forms, criteria and guidelines are at https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/awards. All nominations must be submitted electronically by 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 5, 2024. National awards will be presented during the NSBW awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 4- 5, 2025. District Awards will be presented throughout the month of May 2025.

SBA's Resource Partners can help assist the business, at no-cost, in writing their BEST nomination. To locate a local Resource Partner, visit https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners.

The SBA Awards given in celebration of National and District Small Business Week will include the following Eastern Pennsylvania District Small Business Week Categories:

• Small Business Person of the Year (National and District)
• Small Business Exporter (National and District)
• Local Awards

• Entrepreneurial Success of the Year
• Family-Owned Small Business of the Year
• Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year
• Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year
• Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year

To obtain additional information or receive a copy of a specific National/Eastern Pennsylvania District Award nomination form, criteria, or guideline, please contact Public Information Officer Sonia Smith at sonia.smith@sba.gov.