A business may be nominated for the award by a customer, client, employee, vendor, company or a private citizen who is impressed with a company’s demonstration of ethical business conduct.

Note: Non-profit organizations and financial service companies are not eligible for nomination.

All businesses are eligible except nonprofit organizations and companies who derive more than 25% of revenues from financial services. Not-for-profit organizations are eligible to participate in the Business Ethics Awards. Please ensure the entity's eligibility when nominating and/or applying. Any eligibility questions that might arise related to this policy will be subject to the BEA Board's review and the resulting decision will be final.

There is no fee to apply for the award.

Local divisions or branch office of companies headquartered outside of the Western New York region are eligible for a Business Ethics Award. The submission must demonstrate the management, practices, experiences and policy implementations of the local division or office, even though you are following national or international standards or written codes of ethics or conduct.

Through the Business Ethics Association mentoring program, someone will personally be assigned to your company to provide guidance, if needed, during the preparation of your submission.

Please see the Judging Information Section

Building an ethical business culture is not about how much money you spend. It is about linking the core values of your business with the norms, procedures, incentives and rewards that you establish and the leadership that you provide for your employees.

• Protect your company’s reputation

• Build customer loyalty

• Attract, retain and motivate excellent employees

• Create a positive corporate culture

• Practical knowledge and tools for creating and sustaining an ethical culture in your company

• Steps and tools for building an ethics program for your company

• Relationships with like-minded business leaders

• Access to resources and expertise from experienced and knowledgeable seminar leaders