Rochester Has Great Local Businesses
Let’s Recognize Them
The Rochester Choice Awards celebrate the businesses, organizations, and people doing outstanding work in communities throughout Rochester.
Know someone who deserves more recognition? Help us discover them.
Good Work Deserves to Be Noticed
Rochester is filled with incredible small businesses, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, tradespeople, and community organizations.
Some are already local favorites. Others are quietly doing exceptional work without getting much attention.
The Rocheseter Choice Awards were created to help change that.
Each year, we recognize organizations that stand out through their service, craftsmanship, community impact, professionalism, growth, and the experiences they create for the people they serve.
There’s More Than One Way to Stand Out
Our inaugural awards recognize organizations across several areas of excellence.
View All AwardsCommunity Impact
Recognizing businesses and organizations making a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.
Customer Service Excellence
Celebrating businesses known for taking exceptional care of their customers.
Excellence in Craftsmanship
Recognizing outstanding skill, quality, attention to detail, and pride in the work.
Rochester Hidden Gem
Celebrating excellent local businesses that deserve to be discovered by more people.
Emerging Business
Recognizing newer Rochester businesses showing exceptional promise, creativity, and momentum.
Put a Great Local Business on Our Radar
You don’t have to own the business. You don’t have to work there.
If a Rochester business or organization has impressed you, tell us about them.
Nominate a contractor who went above and beyond. A restaurant everyone should know about. A nonprofit making a difference. A local shop that treats people right.
Every nomination helps us discover more of the people doing excellent work across Rochester.
Submit a Nomination
Simple. Independent. Transparent.
01 Nominate
Community members, customers, businesses, and members of our team can submit nominations.
02 Review
We evaluate nominees using published criteria appropriate to each award category.
03 Select
Recipients are chosen based on the strength of their work, reputation, impact, and supporting information.
04 Recognize
Recipients receive an official award profile and digital winner badge they can proudly share.
Help Us Build the 2026 Awards
2026 marks the inaugural year of the Rochester Choice Awards. We’re currently accepting nominations, building our advisory community, and discovering outstanding organizations throughout Rochester. There are no past winners to browse yet—and that’s because this is where it begins. Your nomination could help introduce us to one of our first award recipients.
Nominate for 2026
Who Deserves Some Recognition?
Great businesses often grow because someone decided to tell another person about them. This is another way to do exactly that. Tell us about a Rochester business, nonprofit, entrepreneur, or organization you think deserves to be recognized.
Nominate a Business