Indigenous Business Award - Nominate Now - BC Achievement Foundation

The Indigenous Business Award (IBA) program recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of Indigenous businesses, entrepreneurs, partnership entities and community-owned enterprises.

Click here to review checklist before you start:

Review the I BA Webpage and award information section
Review the IBA Nomination Guide with tips for submitting a strong nomination
Review the Use of AI Guidelines and effective nominator statement examples
Confirm nominator and nominee meet the eligibility criteria
Draft your Nominator, Ownership Structure & Community Impact statements in a Word doc first, then copy it into the form
Have all nominator and nominee contact details ready
Gather support letter and additional materials
Allow 15-20 minutes to complete the form

If you have questions, please email indigenousbusiness@bcachievement.com.

We’ve got you covered! Click ‘Save and Continue Later’ at the bottom of each step if you need to return to the form and finish your nomination. Please remember to enter your email in the box provided. A link will be sent to your email so that you can return and complete your nomination before the deadline.

"*" indicates required fields

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This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Is this an update to a previous nomination?*

Yes

If yes, which year was the previous nomination submitted?

Is this a self-nomination?*

Yes

NOMINATOR INFORMATION

Nominator Name*

Nominator First Name Nominator Last Name

Nominator Pronouns*

Nominator Organization

Nominator Address*

Street Address City Province Postal Code

Nominator Email*

Nominator Phone*

Is the nominator a past recipient of the Indigenous Business Award?*

Yes

NOMINEE ELIGIBILITY

Individuals and businesses may enter in ONE category only.
*Nominees for the Young Entrepreneur category must be 35 years or younger by Feb 15, 2027, and have been in business for at least two years.

Please select one of the following categories.*

Select a CategorySub-Category

Please provide a short description of the nominee (e.g., ABC Coastal Solutions is an Indigenous-owned environmental consulting company based in Terrace that provides land stewardship planning, ecological restoration, and cultural monitoring services).*

Please indicate what sector best describes the nominee.*

Please review and check off the following statements:*

I agree the business is at least 51% Indigenous owned and operated (First Nations, Métis or Inuit)

I agree the business is based in British Columbia

I agree the business has been in operation for a minimum of two years

Please note the following:

Past awardees* must wait five years before reapplying unless the nature of the business has significantly changed

*Visit BC Achievement’s Awardees webpage to see if your nominee is a past recipient of the award.

The following are ineligible to receive the Award:

Government agencies or institutions
Businesses operated or owned by BC Achievement board member
Businesses operated or owned by a member of the selection committee
Posthumous nominations
Recent past IBA recipients

Is the nominee a past recipient of the Indigenous Business Award?*

Yes

If yes, what year?

NOMINEE INFORMATION

Nominee Business Name (N/A if applying for the award of distinction)

Nominee Name*

Nominee First Name Nominee Last Name

Nominee Pronouns*

Nominee Address*

Street Address City Province Postal Code

Email*

Phone*

Nominee Website

NOMINEE INDIGENOUS IDENTITY

At BC Achievement, we see the nomination process as a collaboration and the beginning of a strong meaningful relationship. The nomination must clearly articulate the nominee’s relationship and connection to their Indigenous identity.

For the purposes of the IBA program, Indigenous in the context of the First Peoples in Canada includes:

First Nations: are status and non-status individuals who are citizens, recognized members or direct blood relatives of a larger tribal group.

Inuit: are the First Peoples of the Arctic regions of Canada.

Métis: have a direct line of Métis ancestry to a known Métis settlement, community, or family group.

Please identify the nominee's Indigenous identity.*

First Nations

Inuit

Métis

Please provide supporting documentation*

Regarding Indigenous identity and to protect the integrity of the award, please provide supporting documentation from those who are self-identifying and disclosing their Nation affiliation. If selection committee members have questions, BC Achievement will follow up. Some examples for documentation include the following:

A copy of their Status card
A statement of support from their community speaking to their connection
A statement from the nominee outlining their connection to their community

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, rtf, jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 32 MB, Max. files: 1.

Nominator Statement (Award of Distinction)*

Describe the nominee’s mission, vision and goals
Include background information about the nominee
Describe the nominee’s impact on their community
Explain how the nominee has advocated for Indigenous employment or prioritized Indigenous employment
Address what inspires the nominee
Describe how the nominee serves as a leader, role model, mentor and inspiration
If submitting a written nominator statement presents a barrier, please contact BC Achievement staff for assistance—alternate formats such as a video or audio recording are welcome.

Nominator Statement*

Describe the nominee’s mission, vision and goals
Include background information about the nominee / business
Explain why the nominee started the business and how it has grown in size and scope since its inception
Indicate if the nominee has an Indigenous employment strategy
Address what inspires the nominee
Provide any additional reasons why the nominee should be considered for the award
If submitting a written nominator statement presents a barrier, please contact BC Achievement staff for assistance—alternate formats such as a video or audio recording are welcome.

Ownership Structure Statement*

Provide details about the business structure including ownership and management
List the names and titles of the individuals who own and manage the business

Community Impact Statement*

Describe the nominee’s impact on their community and how their business contributes to economic well-being
Explain how the nominee supports job creation, training, mentorship, leadership development, environmental stewardship, cultural revitalizations, and other social benefits
Provide examples of how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in leadership both in their business practice and involvement in the community
Address the business’ viability

How many full- or part-time permanent Indigenous employees work for the business?*

How many full- or part-time permanent non-Indigenous employees work for the business?*

For Indigenous-Industry partnerships only

Please provide a statement that outlines fully the role of the Indigenous partner

Support Letter*

Please provide one support letter from someone other than the nominator which speaks to the nominee’s contributions and impact

Note: A support letter should:

Include the writer’s full name and contact information (address, email, phone)
Come from outside the nominee’s immediate family
Be written specifically for the Indigenous Business Award program
Be addressed to the Selection Committee
Be a maximum of 3000 characters including spaces or approx. 500 words

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, rtf, jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 32 MB, Max. files: 1.

Writer of Support Letter*

First Name Last Name

Financials – Optional, but strongly recommended

To help identify trends, nominators are encouraged to provide the nominee’s revenue, expenses & net profit for the past two years. This information allows the jury to assess community impact, sustainability, innovation and leadership within a quadruple bottom-line framework, measuring the business’s influence on people, the planet, profit, and purpose. (Note: this section is not applicable for Award of Distinction category).

Download the IBA financials template here.
PDF and upload the completed financials form to the field provided in the online nomination form

Please provide financial details for the most recent past two years.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, txt, rtf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 1.

Additional Materials – optional, but strongly recommended

Include materials such as the nominee’s biography, CV, additional letters of support, links to articles, recorded testimonials, YouTube videos, photos, etc.
A maximum of five items will be accepted
If the total of all the ‘Additional Materials’ is more than 10 pages or 5 minutes of video or 5 weblinks, the jury members will only review up to these limits, due to time constraints
Note: The nominator may upload one Word or PDF document with up to five weblinks in the ‘Additional Materials’ section. Each weblink counts as one Additional Material

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: doc, docx, pdf, mov, mp4, png, gif, jpg, Max. file size: 64 MB, Max. files: 5.

Please let us know how you heard about the award program?*

Privacy Statement & Collection of Information

BC Achievement is committed to protecting the privacy of people through responsible management of information received. Nominations are kept confidential between the nominator and BC Achievement.

Photographs and information about the award recipients may be used for the promotion of the award program and other promotional activities (i.e., on BC Achievement’s website, social media channels, in media releases etc.).

Nominator Agreement*

Please review and check off the following statements:

I agree that all the information provided in this nomination is true and accurate in every respect and understand that the nominee would be ineligible to receive the award if the information is found to be inaccurate for any reason.

I agree to accept the decision of the jury as final.

I agree to receive email communications from BC Achievement from time to time as it pertains to their programs and initiatives.

Indigenous Business Award – Nominate Now

Click here to review checklist before you start:

NOMINATOR INFORMATION

NOMINEE ELIGIBILITY

Please note the following:

The following are ineligible to receive the Award:

NOMINEE INFORMATION

NOMINEE INDIGENOUS IDENTITY

Note: A support letter should:

Financials – Optional, but strongly recommended

Privacy Statement & Collection of Information

Quick Links

Find Us

Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.

© 2026 BC Achievement Foundation
Canadian Charitable Number 893638106RR0001

Website by Leap Creative Group.

We are grateful at the BC Achievement Foundation to live, work and play on the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəjˀəm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ(Tsleil Waututh) Nations.

Indigenous Business Award – Nominate Now

Click here to review checklist before you start:

NOMINATOR INFORMATION

NOMINEE ELIGIBILITY

Please note the following:

The following are ineligible to receive the Award:

NOMINEE INFORMATION

NOMINEE INDIGENOUS IDENTITY

Note: A support letter should:

Financials – Optional, but strongly recommended

Privacy Statement & Collection of Information

Quick Links

Find Us

Elevate Excellence. Share Success. Inspire Change.

© 2026 BC Achievement FoundationCanadian Charitable Number 893638106RR0001Website by Leap Creative Group.

We are grateful at the BC Achievement Foundation to live, work and play on the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəjˀəm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ(Tsleil Waututh) Nations.

© 2026 BC Achievement Foundation
Canadian Charitable Number 893638106RR0001

Website by Leap Creative Group.