Nomination Acceptance Tips

The Barrie Chamber of Commerce proudly hosts two prestigious awards programs: the Barrie Business Awards and the Women in Business Awards. These programs are dedicated to celebrating the Greater Barrie Business Community, spotlighting outstanding business acumen, dedication, and innovation. If you've been honored with a nomination, we encourage you to review the guidelines below for accepting your nomination. Our esteemed panel of judges is eager to explore and recognize the exceptional talents within the Barrie Business Community.

Congratulations! You've been nominated for an award! This alone is an incredible accomplishment. Someone from our community recognized you as a leader in our business community and wanted to acknowledge your contributions to it. Take a moment to hear that and take it in.

We highly encourage all nominees to accept their nominations. This will not only allow you to appreciate all of your hard work, you could win an award! Accepting will also serve as a thank you to the person (or people) who thought so highly of you that they took the time to nominate you.

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The Barrie Chamber of Commerce takes pride in offering:

The public with an opportunity to recognize businesses from across the Greater Barrie Area for their dedication, success and service.
Businesses the chance to be recognized by their local community.
Nominees to reflect and acknowledge all of their hard work from the past year and to show pride in their accomplishments.

The Top Three Finalists in each category will receive a 1 minute promotional video.
The Finalist Videos will be presented at the Barrie Business Awards Gala before our winners are announced.
The Barrie Business Awards Gala is Barrie's premiere business black tie event of 300+ guests, VIPs, local celebrities and the who's who of the Barrie Business Community.

Get a head start!

Avoid procrastinating when writing your submission. Make sure to allow yourself some time to carefully consider what you have to say. Our questions are involved in order to give our judges detailed information to review. Please plan and budget your time accordingly.

Please review submission deadlines!

Evaluating Point Value

Consider the point allocation carefully. A question worth 10 points demands significantly more effort than a 1 or 5 point question. Invest the time needed to provide ample information and ensure your response justifies the full value of the question.

Be Specific!

Include specific events, lessons, achievements... Simply mentioning growth isn't enough. Submit examples, lists, and detailed explanations to demonstrate your points.

Be Up-to-Date

The questions pertain to the past year. Ensure that you reference your most recent accomplishments, goals and plans to date.

Adhere to Guidelines

Ensure that you carefully follow the rules and regulations. Missing out on an award opportunity due to an unintentional rule violation would be unfortunate.

Verify Your Entry

You may edit your submission up until the deadline: Monday, January 22, 2024 at 2:00pm. Once submissions are closed, it is up to the judges.

Take Your Time

We understand your enthusiasm, but it's important to take your time and carefully craft your responses. Scheduling time to compose, review, and refine your answers will allow the judges to gain a clear understanding of your business and its accomplishments over the past year.

Embrace Bullet Points

You have the flexibility to utilize bullet points:

- They enhance readability
- Quickly communicate your intentions
- Keep track of information in relation to available points

Addressing Award Criteria

As you respond to the award-specific questions, remember that they hold a significant value. The community has recognized your worthiness for this award, and now it's your opportunity to persuade the judges. Ensure your submission remains focused on the award criteria and provides ample information. Stay on topic and refer to the award criteria to strengthen your case.

Share Your Story

Your story and your business are known to no one better than yourself! Embrace the opportunity to inform our judging panel why you deserve to win this award.

Remain Focused

Avoid repetition and stay on point. The judges will value your precision in addressing the questions.

If You Encounter Problems

If you are new to our system, you will need to create a new account. Existing accounts may login each year they are nominated.
- Should you encounter any issues, try clearing your cookies and start with a fresh session.
- If you are unable to login, please contact our office within office hours (8:30am - 5:00pm) so that we can help you with your concerns: 705-721-5000
- We are unable to support nominees after hours. It is in your best interest to ensure you access your account in a timely manner, well before the deadline.

Ready to Accept?

Now that you're aware of why you should accept your nomination and complete your submission, and we've given you some tips to make it effective - are you ready? Our judges are looking forward to learning all about you and your business.

Thank you for investing the time to accept your nomination and submit it to our judges.
We look forward to celebrating you and your accomplishments.