Small Business BC Awards Week 2021

The Small Business BC Awards are the largest awards dedicated to small business in Western Canada. Join us for Awards Week 2021, across four days, celebrate the resiliency and hard work of the entrepreneurs making a difference around British Columbia.

About the Event

In these COVID times in which we’re living, we’ve decided to get a little creative with the 18th Annual Small Business BC Awards. Rather than the usual in-person gala at the Vancouver Convention Centre, we’re delivering a week of Awards content designed to celebrate the achievements of our province’s small business heroes.

Each day, watch inspiring short films about each of our finalists; get to know the passion behind why they started their own business, the challenges they've overcome (including COVID-19) and why small businesses are so important to our Province.

Across 3 days of short films - we'll reveal the 6 deserving winners of our 2021 Awards.

Thank you to our title sponsor First West Credit Union and its four locally known and trusted divisions: Envision Financial, Valley First, Island Savings and Enderby & District Financial.

How Awards Week Works

Tickets for the 18th Annual SBBC Awards are FREE, and a single registration secures your place for the entire multi-day event.

All you need to do is register once and we’ll do the rest. Each day, you’ll be emailed a link to access the day’s activities, and we've broken the contest across a few days to make it more accessible for everyone (Zoom-fatigue...we hear you).

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of what to expect each day:

Day 1: Monday, May 3rd (6:00pm - 7:30pm)

We kick off SBBC Awards Week with a celebratory event with remarks from some very special guests, and an evening of networking where small business owners, Award finalists, partner and supports can mingle, share stories and build valuable contacts.

SBBC Awards Panel: Celebrating our Small Business Champions

Awards Week starts with a bang as we host our SBBC Awards Panel: Celebrating our Small Business Champions.
 
Hear insights from some of this year’s judges, as well as previous winners of the SBBC Awards sharing their experiences and the benefits they’ve seen from winning our Awards. 

Moderated by Tom Conway, CEO of Small Business BC, our panelists include:

• Jen Rainnie: Judge, Best Youth Entrepreneur, Founder of MALVADOS, and SBBC Board Member 
• James Delorme: Judge, Best Solopreneur, President of Indigeknow, and SBBC Board Member
• Sean Herman: Winner of Best Innovation Award 2020, Founder of Kinzoo
• Nicole Burke: Double SBBC Award Winner (Best Employer, Best Marketer)

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to celebrate the hard work and resiliency of our small business community.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 4th (1:00pm - 1:40pm)

Hosted by a special guest Emcee, we kick off the main presentation of Awards week with a 30-minute virtual ceremony. There’ll be inspiring videos of our finalists made by our production partners, True Calling Media, and we’ll be announcing the winners of the following two categories:

Best Immigrant Entrepreneur Award 
Presented by BDC

Our finalists:

• Audielicious Restaurant, Fort St. John
• Charcuterie Vancouver, Vancouver
• Artemex Mexican Handcrafts, West Kelowna
• Kleiner Services, Burnaby
• Soul Bite Food Inc., Coquitlam
  
  

Best Community Impact Award
Presented by Immigrant Employment Council of BC

Our finalists:

• Bigfoot Donuts, Courtenay
• Skwalwen Botanicals, Squamish
• Bubbles' Blossom Design, Clinton
• MisMacK Clean Cosmetics, Canoe
• Sisters Sage, Vancouver

Day 3: Wednesday, May 5th (1:00pm- 1:40pm)

Awards Week continues with a further two category announcements:

Best Solopreneur Award
Presented by Small Business BC

Our finalists:

• Jada Creations, Terrace
• Jak. Natural Designs, Blue River
• Aspect Film Works, Kamloops
• Chiwis Kiwi Chips, Squamish
• Emerald Earth Organic Spa, Valemount
  
  

Best Youth Entrepreneur Award
Presented by KPU

Our finalists:

• Bigfoot Donuts, Courtenay
• Justo’s Craft Dips, Victoria
• MisMacK Clean Cosmetics, Canoe
• Sea to Sky Sourdough BReD Inc., Whistler
• Purpose Smoothie Co., Richmond
  
  

Day 4: Thursday, May 6th (1:00pm - 1:40pm)

Awards week draws to a close with our final two category announcements:

Best Innovation Award
Presented by Western Economic Diversification Canada

Our finalists:

• CORE Landscape Products, Courtenay
• MisMacK Clean Cosmetics, Canoe
• Spirits of the West Coast Art Gallery, Courtenay
• Big Bold Brand Inc., North Vancouver
• Matidor, Vancouver
  
  

Premier’s People’s Choice
Presented by the Government of British Columbia

Our finalists:

• Bigfoot Donuts, Courtenay
• Raven Reads Books Ltd., Logan Lake
• Skwalwen Botanicals, Squamish
• Summit Tiny Homes, Vernon
• Justo’s Craft Dips, Victoria
  
  

We’d also like to thank our sponsors for their continued support of small business:

COVID-19 PPE Health & Safety Partner

• WorkSafeBC

Community Sponsors

• Women's Enterprise Centre
• Loren Nancke
• BC Marketplace
• The Office of Small and Medium Enterprise
• Futurpreneur
• The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade
• FortisBC

Media Sponsors

• Postmedia
• Black Press Media