Questions, answered plainly.
Nominations, eligibility, judging, the evening, partnership and press. If your question is not here, write to us and we will answer it, then add it to this page.
Nominations
No. There is no nomination fee, no finalist fee and no charge to accept an award, at any stage of the programme.
Yes, and many winners do. Self nominations carry exactly the same weight as third party ones. The nominator's details are removed before judges see the entry, so they cannot tell which is which.
You can start without telling her, but you cannot finish in secret. Every nominee is contacted to confirm participation before her entry is scored. Most people find that telling her first produces a much stronger nomination.
About fifteen minutes if you have her numbers in front of you. Six short sections, and approximate figures are completely fine.
Put her forward anyway. The commonest reason a remarkable founder is never nominated is that somebody assumed she would not qualify. Screening will tell us, and nothing is lost by asking.
Yes. You may name a primary and a secondary category. The panel will generally place a nominee in a single best fit category, and will tell you if it moves her.
Write to the awards team before 10 October 2026 and we will amend it. After nominations close, entries are frozen for screening.
Eligibility
Anyone who self identifies as a first generation immigrant woman, whether she arrived in Canada as an adult or as a minor, and who is resident in Canada at the time of nomination. Women born in Canada to immigrant parents are second generation and are not eligible for this programme.
No. Permanent residents and people resident here on work or study permits are all eligible, provided the business is operating and based in Canada.
There is no minimum age except in Startup of the Year, which is for businesses founded within roughly the last three years.
No. Registered sole traders and partnerships are eligible as long as the business is genuinely operating and based in Canada.
Yes. Founders, co founders and majority owners are all eligible.
Yes, most naturally in the Sustainable Business and Social Impact category, where commercial viability is assessed on the ability to sustain the work rather than on profit.
Judging
An independent panel of sector specialists, operators, funders and community leaders. A minimum of three judges score every category.
A public vote opens on screened nominees between 20 and 30 October. It runs alongside independent judging and reaches the panel as a signal of community standing. It does not replace the judges' scores.
No. Sponsors receive naming, visibility and stage presence. They receive no vote, no sight of the shortlist before it is public, and no advance notice of winners. Any attempt to influence an outcome ends the partnership and the fee is returned.
Each judge scores every published criterion from 1 to 10, and those are multiplied by the published percentage weights to produce a single score. Scores are then averaged across all judges assigned to the category.
Never. Revenue bands, business numbers and referee comments are seen only by the screening team and the assigned judges.
Any nominee may request the criterion level score range for her own entry after the evening. Individual judges' scores are not attributed.
Outcomes are final. Complaints about process, rather than about who won, may be raised in writing within fourteen days and are reviewed by the panel chair.
The evening
Friday, 20 November 2026 at Brampton City Hall Conservatory, 2 Wellington St W, Brampton, ON L6Y 4R2. Reception from 6:00 PM, ceremony from 6:30 PM, close at 9:00 PM.
No. This is not a public event and nothing is sold. Places are allocated by the awards team to finalists, nominees, partners, the IWEC community and accredited media.
Request one through the registration form on The Evening page. Finalists and their guests are confirmed automatically, and other requests are confirmed in the order they arrive while capacity allows.
Cheese, canapes and a selection of wines are served throughout the reception, with generous non alcoholic options. It is a standing reception rather than a seated meal.
Business formal. Cultural formal dress is warmly encouraged and photographs beautifully, so please do not feel you need a gown to fit in.
Finalists receive a guest place, and further places can be requested at registration subject to capacity. The venue is licensed, so guests under 19 are admitted accompanied by a responsible adult.
Halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan and allergen aware options are available. Tell us when you register so the caterer has proper notice.
Yes. Step free access throughout, accessible washrooms, reserved accessible seating and space for wheelchairs. A quiet room is available all evening.
Partners & press
Start with the sponsorship page, then send an enquiry. There are six packages, from Community Support through to the founding Title partnership, and every one is negotiable in shape.
Yes. Category partnership names one of the awards for the year and puts your representative on stage to present it. Awards are allocated first come, first served.
Yes. Applications are open on the Become a judge page. We look for operating experience, sector fluency, no undeclared conflicts, and the time to read every entry properly.
Apply through the press page at least two weeks before the evening. Places are limited and allocated by the awards team.
Not answered
Ask us directly.
Every question we get asked twice ends up on this page. Write to the awards team and you will hear back within two working days.
10 September 2026 to 10 October 2026
Nominations Open
Someone you know has built something remarkable and has never once been asked to tell the story. Take fifteen minutes and put her forward.
