Chamber of the Year

Overview

Since 2007, ACCE has annually recognized chambers of commerce in various size categories for their work leading businesses and communities with the Chamber of the Year award. The award recognizes excellence in operations, member services and community leadership.

Chamber of the Year is sponsored by

Application process

The Chamber of the Year award involves a multi-stage process, which includes Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking, application and interview. Winners of the Chamber of the Year award must wait three years before submitting another application.

During the first two stages, chambers compete against the numbers. As finalists, they compete against other chambers within their category. Staff and volunteer committee discretion will determine the size category of each entry, using a 4-factor equation from the Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking platform.

Chambers interested in applying for Chamber of the Year must complete the survey questions in ACCE's Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking by April 5, 2021. Chambers that meet minimum requirements will be notified and invited to proceed with the Chamber of the Year application process. Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking is available all year long but only chambers that complete the Chamber Profile and Operations sections (with Fiscal Year 2020 data) by April 5th will be considered for eligibility. You can find the platform and more information here.

Synopsis Review
You have the option of submitting your synopsis topic for review prior to your application submission. A committee of your peers will review the submission, giving it one of the following evaluations: red (not competitive), a yellow (standard and should consider re-evaluation) and green (great topic). Submit your synopsis topic review form by April 23, 2021.

Questions? Contact Anissa Starnes.

Chamber of the Year resources

Conference Call on Winning Applications: Part 1 | Part 2
2021 Chamber of the Year Application (See the application guidelines below for detailed instructions on how to submit the application)
Sample entry
Application process
Past winners

Application Guidelines

All application entries, including each supporting document, must be sent to COY@acce.org by midnight on June 14, 2021. Please have your chamber's complete name in the subject line. For example, ABC Chamber-2021COY.
Each application must be submitted as one, complete PDF document. Each section of the application must be clearly identified. Embedded links are permitted within the application, but each link must lead directly to the item being referenced. The links must remain active through July 2022. For additional guidance, please review this sample entry.
Remember! More does not always mean better. Judges are reviewing a lot of information, so keep your responses concise and to the point.
Since applications tend to be too large to send as an email attachment, it is strongly recommended that applications be sent via Dropbox or Google Docs.
Entry fee payment must be submitted by either credit card or check by using the payment form on page two of the Chamber of the Year application.
All applicants will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of sending their application to ACCE.

2021 Chamber of the Year Application Timeline

February 4: Chamber of the Year Interest Webinar
April 5: Deadline for chambers to complete the Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking Survey.
April 16: Chambers that pre-qualify will be notified and encouraged to submit an application
May 4: Synopsis feedback emailed to chambers
May 5 (2 p.m. EDT): Conference Call for chambers that pre-qualify
June 14: Chamber of the Year Application Deadline
June 21: Application Judging
Week of June 30: Chamber of the Year Finalists Announced
July 12: Finalist Interviews
July 20: Chamber of the Year Winners Announced at ACCE's Chamber Innovation Summit

Publicity and Brand Awareness

Chamber of the Year winners and finalists will experience heightened attention via media advisories and press conferences. Finalists and winners are authorized to use the appropriate version of the Chamber of the Year logo in promoting their chambers and communities.