Chamber of the Year

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 data from the Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking platform.

Chamber of the Year Entry Fee: $300 - Payment link coming soon.

This fee is waived for Horizon Investors & All ACCEss Pass holders. Payment must be made by credit card.

2026 Timeline

• February 10: Chamber of the Year Interest Webinar – 2 p.m. ET
• March 13: Deadline for chambers to complete the Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking surveys 
• March 13 Optional synopsis review. Submit the completed form by March 13 and receive feedback by March 31. 
• March 24: Chambers that qualify will be notified and encouraged to submit an application 
• April 14: Chamber of the Year Application Do's and Don'ts Webinar - 2 p.m. ET 
• May 7: Chamber of the Year application deadline - 11:59 p.m. PT 
• June 3: Applicants informed if they are finalists or not 
• June 4: Finalists announced 
• June 24: Chamber of the Year Interviews that Win Webinar 2 p.m. ET 
• July 20: Finalist interviews at #ACCE26 in New Orleans 
• July 21: Winners announced at ACCE Awards Show 

Application Guidelines 

• 2026 COY Application - Coming soon
• 2026 Application Submission Instructions - Coming soon
• 2026 Synopsis Topic Review Form - Coming soon
• Remember: More is not always better. Judges review a substantial amount of information, so it is important keep your responses concise. 
• All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application. 

Chamber of the Year Resources

• Past winners

Synopsis Review

You have the option to submit 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), yellow (standard and should consider re-evaluation) and green (great topic). Submit your synopsis topic review form by March 13 to receive feedback by March 31.  

 

 2025 Winning Applications 

• Category 1: Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce
• Category 2: Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce
• Category 3: Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
• Category 4: Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce

 

 2024 Winning Applications 

• Category 1: Opelika Chamber of Commerce
• Category 2: Vail Valley Partnership 
• Category 3: Fox Cities Chamber
• Category 4: Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.

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.

Award Eligibility

• ACCE’s Chamber of the Year award is open to all current ACCE member chambers of commerce in good standing.

• To apply for the 2026 Chamber of the Year award, chambers must complete the Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking Survey by March 13 and meet the minimum qualification requirements.

• For former Chamber of the Year (COY) winners who wish to reapply, COY eligibility requires sitting out for three program years. For example, if a chamber won in 2022, the chamber would sit out 2023, 2024, and 2025, becoming eligible to reapply in 2026.