The Moose Jaw Business Excellence Awards (MJBEX) are an annual production by the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce that celebrates community businesses that have had a special effect, been particularly civic-minded or innovative, pitched in for a good cause, and more.
Nominations are submitted entirely online at mjcc.awardify.io. Answers to all questions about specific categories and eligibility criteria are found on the site's categories page.
Last year, the MJBEX Awards Gala returned to in-person celebrations for its 20th anniversary. The gala saw 15 awards presented in 13 community-nominated categories and two additional awards — Business Leader of the Year and Business of the Year — presented after receiving the community's overall input.
Some changes have been made to the categories for 2023. The Environmental Steward, Job Creation, and Newcomer Entrepreneur categories are gone, and two new categories have been introduced.
This year's categories are:
- "Hell Yeah!" Award (NEW)
- Agricultural & Agri-Business Excellence Award
- Business Innovation Award
- Business Leader of the Year (chosen by the Chamber of Commerce board)
- Business of the Year (awarded to the business with the highest number of points across all categories)
- Community Involvement Award
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award (NEW)
- Impact Award (non-profit)
- Marketing Award
- New Business Venture Award
- People's Choice Award (selected by open online voting the week before the Awards Gala)
- Pillar of the Community Award
- Service Excellence Award
- Young Entrepreneur Award
That means one less category in 2023 for a total of 14.
Any business in Moose Jaw and surrounding area is eligible, with the exception of Crown Corporations and the City of Moose Jaw itself. A business cannot be nominated for an award it has already won within the last two years.
Nominees can submit their own applications or be submitted by a third party as long as that third party obtains permission from the nominee.
Businesses can submit nominations for a maximum of two awards categories.
All nominations, applications, and business submissions are kept confidential and secure during the process. The Chamber uses an independent judging process to keep things fair.
The submission deadline is Friday, March 10. Judging will follow in the month of March before the Awards Gala on Wednesday, April 19 at the Heritage Inn.
