Recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) opened nominations for its 2027 National Small Business Week Awards, which recognize exceptional small business owners from West Virginia. National Small Business Week will take place May 2–8, 2027. Nominations must be submitted by 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 7, 2026, at SBA.gov/nsbw.
“West Virginia’s small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities, and National Small Business Week gives us an opportunity to put their hard work, resilience and success in the national spotlight,” said Karen Friel, SBA West Virginia District Director. “We know there are incredible entrepreneurs in every corner of the Mountain State who deserve to be recognized. I encourage our lenders, resource partners, community leaders and businesses to nominate a deserving small business owner and help us celebrate the people who make West Virginia a great place to start, grow, and succeed in business.”
SBA has recognized National Small Business Week since 1963. Each year, a business owner from the Mountain State is selected for the State Small Business Person of the Year award.
The West Virginia State award winner will compete for the 2027 National Small Business Person of the Year – SBA’s signature award and the agency’s highest small business honor. The West Virginia District Office is also accepting nominations for specialty award categories recognizing small businesses that are excelling in specific areas that contribute to American strength, innovation, and resilience including the following categories:
• Small Business Manufacturer of the Year
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• Blue Collar Small Business of the Year
• Rural Small Business of the Year
• Veteran Small Business of the Year
• Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
• Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery- Mitigation
• Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year (WV District Office Category)
Small business owners may nominate themselves for an award, or they may be nominated by a third party. Visit SBA.gov/nsbw for the full list of awards, eligibility requirements, guidelines, nomination forms, local area contacts and all related information. Next May, during National Small Business Week, national honorees will be recognized in Washington, D.C.,, and local recipients will be honored in Fairmont, WV. Last year, national award recipients were recognized by President Trump at the White House during the National Small Business Week Small Business Summit.
