ABOUT THE SMART WOMEN AWARDS: The Smart Women Awards recognize the achievements of leading businesswomen and effective women's programs. Awards will be presented in three distinct categories on July 8, 2026 at Severance Hall.

CATEGORIES 

1. Progressive Woman Award: Recognizes female executives or managers who have risen through the ranks in their career and overcome significant challenges along the way.   

2. Progressive Organization Award: Recognizes organizations that support or promote women based initiatives, develop specific programs that provide opportunities for advancement, or create family-friendly workplaces.   

3. Progressive Entrepreneur Award: Recognizes female entrepreneurs who have either founded or co-founded a for-profit business that has achieved substantial growth within the last two years due to an innovative product or service.      

ELIGIBILITY

Any individual employed by a for-profit or nonprofit organization with a physical presence within the Northeast Ohio region is eligible for an award.

NOMINATION INSTRUCTIONS     

Complete all the information on the nomination form.      

SECTION ONE: Provide basic contact information about the person who begins the nomination process. This individual will likely represent the nominated company or individual or be familiar with its operations.    

SECTION TWO: Select the category being nominated for.

SECTION THREE: Provide basic information about the Nominee.      

SECTION FOUR: Explain why your Nominee should be recognized with a Smart Women Award by answering one of the three essay questions. Essays can be as short as a single paragraph or as long as necessary to fully explain to the judges the merit of your Nominee. Please keep in mind that the more specific detail provided to the judging panel, the greater the opportunity your Nominee will have to be recognized.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday April 17, 2026.

For more information, contact Lisa Dore at (440) 610-9929 or ldore@sbnonline.com.

 Nomination Deadline: Friday, May 8th

ABOUT THE SMART 50 PROGRAM:   Who are the executives leading the smartest 50 organizations in Central Ohio? Since 2014, The Smart 50 Awards, presented by Hylant will recognize the top executives of the smartest companies in the region for their ability to effectively build and lead savvy organizations.   

All 50 winners will be honored as the Class of 2026 at a special celebration in August. All honorees will be asked to attend a special judging session in July to be interviewed by the judges and make their best pitch for one of three specialty awards that will be awarded for outstanding innovation, impact, and sustainability.      ELIGIBILITY:    Eligible Smart 50 nominees must be a top executive of an organization with a physical office in the Central Ohio region. Specialty award winners will be recognized for Innovation, Impact and Sustainability.      NOMINATION INSTRUCTIONS:    Complete all the information on the nomination form.      SECTION ONE: Provide basic contact information about the person who begins the nomination process. This individual will likely represent the nominated company or individual or be familiar with its operations.      SECTION TWO: Provide basic information about the person being nominated, including company size and industry.      SECTION THREE: Explain why your Nominee should be recognized with a Smart 50 award. Provide a brief description that includes the "what," "how," and "why" to support the nomination. Essays can be as short as a single paragraph or as long as necessary to fully explain to the judges the merit of your Nominee. Please keep in mind that the more specific detail provided to the judges, the greater the opportunity your Nominee will have to be recognized. Be sure to designate in which category (or categories) you would like the Nominee to be considered for the specialty award.      For more information, please contact Lisa Dore at ldore@sbnonline.com or (440) 250-7050. 

  ABOUT THE FAMILY BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS:     The 2026 Family Business Achievement Awards will recognize organizations that have demonstrated best practices in keeping the business within the family for at minimum, one generational transfer (i.e. second-generation businesses or older).

ELIGIBILITY:     Eligible award nominees must have a minimum of two family members involved in the organization, and be privately held. A family member is defined as siblings, spouses, children, grandchildren, or cousins. They may be from a single generation or multi-generations. Must have a physical location in Northeast Ohio. NOMINATION INSTRUCTIONS:     Complete all the information on the nomination form.      SECTION ONE: Provide basic contact information about the person submitting the nomination form. This individual will likely represent the nominated company or individual or be familiar with the company’s operations.      SECTION TWO: Provide basic information about the company being nominated, including company size and industry.      SECTION THREE: Explain why the Nominee should be recognized with a Family Business Achievement Award. Provide a brief description that includes the "what," "how," and "why" to support the nomination. Essays can be as short as a single paragraph or as long as necessary to fully explain to the judges the merit of the Nominee. Please keep in mind that the more specific detail provided to the judges, the greater the opportunity the Nominee will have to be recognized.

The nomination deadline is Friday June 19, 2026. 2026 award winners will be honored at the Family Business Conference on September 10.

For more information, please contact Lisa Dore at 440.250.7050 or ldore@sbnonline.com