Nominations open for 2025 Mayor’s Small Business Awards

The Maui Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Mayor’s Small Business Awards, which recognize outstanding small businesses in Maui County. Winners and nominees will be honored during an event on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at the King Kamehameha Golf Club.

Eligible businesses must have 100 or fewer employees and hold a Hawai‘i General Excise Tax license for at least two years. Other criteria include:

• Demonstrating business leadership in a changing economic environment;
• Creating a quality work environment for their employees;
• Exhibiting the Aloha Spirit and exemplary customer service;
• Developing partnerships with other sectors of the community;
• Utilizing innovative practices or pivoting in a unique way to sustain their operations;
• Demonstrating other exceptional qualities or traits.

Award categories include:

• Exceptional Small Business of the Year (10 or fewer employees)
• Exceptional Small Business of the Year (11 to 39 employees)
• Exceptional Small Business of the Year (40 to 100 employees)
• Outstanding Non-Profit Business (100 or fewer employees)
• Young Small Business Person of the Year (under the age of 40 as of Sept. 18, 2025)
• Lifetime Achievement Award (for any individual doing business in Maui County for more than 20 years, with up to 100 employees)

Nomination forms can be completed online and must be submitted with all required information on or before Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. Only those entries received on or before the deadline will be considered.

Submissions must include completing the online nomination form with an explanation as to how the business meets the award criteria, uploading a letter of recommendation for the business from a source other than the nominator and uploading a high resolution (minimum 300 dpi) digital photograph of the nominee.

Anyone can nominate, but self-nominations are not allowed. County of Maui or Maui Chamber of Commerce employee nominations will not be accepted. An individual or business can only be nominated in one category per year, and any business who has won in a particular category in the past cannot be renominated in that same category but can be nominated for another category. A list of previous winners in each category can be found online.

Nomination forms and an instructional video are available at www.mauichamber.com.

“We’re thrilled to announce the 2025 Mayor’s Small Business Awards this fall and invite everyone to nominate a deserving business, whether you’re a customer, friend, family member, neighbor or team member” said Pamela Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce. “This is a meaningful opportunity to spotlight the dedication, innovation, and resilience of Maui County’s small business community and to celebrate the vital role they play in shaping our local economy.”

For more information, visit mauichamber.com or contact the Chamber at 808-244-0081 or officemgr@mauichamber.com.