Eligibility Timeframe

Eligibility for the 2026 ABAs extends from January 1 2024 through March 4 2026. Nominations should cite achievements during this eligibility window.

Nominations that won in the 2025 ABAs may be resubmitted for consideration in the 2026 ABAs. If they have been updated with recent achievements, they may be submitted to the same categories in which they won. If they have not been updated, they must be submitted to categories different from those in which they won.

New Stevie Awards Platform

The American Business Awards website was given a refresh, along with the entry system. All entrants must create a new login at Aba.StevieAwards.com, even if they have submitted Stevie Awards entries in the past. Now, you only need one login to submit nominations in any of the nine Stevie Awards programs.

Categories

There are several new category groups and many new categories across existing groups in the 2026 program.

There is one new major category group – Artificial Intelligence (AI) – featuring 19 categories that recognize individuals, organizations, and initiatives leading advancements in AI.

The Company/Organization categories have been expanded with new industry groups, including Agriculture & Agritech, Biotechnology, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, Education & EdTech, Environmental Services/CleanTech, Gaming & Esports, Healthcare Providers, Logistics & Supply Chain, and Venture Capital & Private Equity.

The Achievement categories feature several new options, including Achievement in Collaboration & Partnership, Achievement in Global Collaboration, and Achievement in Health & Safety Excellence.

The App categories have been refreshed with new and revised options, including Social Good and Excellence in Accessibility, as well as new recognitions for AI and Generative AI technologies.

The Communications & Public Relations categories introduce several new areas, including AI-Driven Communications Campaign, Data-Driven Communications Strategy, Employee Advocacy Program, Employer Branding Campaign, Experiential PR, Real-Time PR Response, and User-Generated Content Activation. These categories have also been changed to focus on ‘Achievements in Communications or Public Relations.’

The Creative categories are entirely new for 2026, with honors such as Breakthrough Creative Use of Technology, Excellence in Collaborative Creativity, and Most Innovative Creative Project.

The Entrepreneur categories have been expanded to include Best Female Entrepreneur, Best Social Entrepreneur, Best Sustainability Entrepreneur, and Best Young Entrepreneur (Under 35).

The Event categories feature several new options, including AI-Powered Event, Local Community Impact Event, Event Series, Hybrid Event of the Year, and Employee-Centric Event.

The Human Resources categories include several new options, such as Achievement in Employee Wellbeing Programs, Best Use of Technology in HR, DEI Program of the Year, Most Innovative HR Initiative, and Remote Work Culture Excellence.

The Achievement in Management categories now include Best Innovation in Management Practices and Emerging Leader of the Year.

The Achievement in Marketing categories have been expanded with AI-Powered Marketing Strategy of the Year, Purpose-Led Marketing Initiative of the Year, and Omni-Channel Marketing. This category group has been renamed to focus on Achievements within marketing.

The New Product & Product Management categories feature three new recognitions: Accessibility-Focused Product, Sustainability-Focused Product, and Voice Technology Product.

Entry Fees

Entry fees for the 2026 ABAs have been raised by $10 from 2025. Fees are available in this chart.