The Ambire Awards: Official Rules
Last updated November 13, 2026
The Ambire Awards honor women entrepreneurs who build good businesses and show up for the women around them. Anyone can be nominated, it's free, and Ambire members pick the winners. Here's how it works.
Who can be nominated
Women entrepreneurs aged 18 or older, based in the US, who own or co-own a business that's operating now. Freelancers, creators and service businesses all count.
Ambire members can be nominated for any public award.
Rising Entrepreneur nominees must have started their business in 2024 or later.
Not eligible: Rachel Africh, Ashley Sterken, their businesses and their immediate families.
The awards
Ambire Entrepreneur of the Year, Rising Entrepreneur, Community Builder, Business for Good, Reinvention, Ingenuity Award and Creator of the Year are open to any eligible woman entrepreneur.
Villager of the Year (IRL) and Villager of the Year (Digital) are for Ambire members only. Nobody nominates for these. We shortlist members from event attendance and activity in The Hub, and members vote.
How to nominate
Nominating is free. You can nominate someone else or yourself.
Each nomination is for one award. Pick the one that fits her best. You can nominate as many different women as you like.
If several people nominate the same woman, we read every nomination. More nominations don't add points, but a second voice can count as proof.
Nominations open November 17, 2026 and close December 12, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.
We email each nominee to let her know. Her nomination counts once she confirms it, by December 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.
How winners are chosen
Nominee. Every confirmed nomination that meets these rules makes her an official nominee.
Finalist. In 2026, Ambire co-founders Rachel Africh and Ashley Sterken choose up to 4 finalists per award. They score community (how she shows up for others, which counts double), fit for the award, what she built or changed in 2026, and the proof provided.
Winner. Ambire members vote on the finalists from January 11 to January 17, 2027. Each member gets one vote per award. A finalist can't vote in her own category. The most votes wins, and Rachel and Ashley break any ties.
Only members who are active on January 11, 2027 can vote.
What winners get
A free year of Ambire membership. Winners who are already members get their next year free. It can't be transferred or exchanged for cash.
A feature in The Perch, Ambire's magazine
Features in our newsletter and on social media
A winner badge for social media and her website
A listing on the Ambire Awards page
Finalists get a finalist badge and a listing on the awards page. Every confirmed nominee gets a nominee badge.
Announcements
Finalists are announced January 11, 2027, and winners January 21, 2027. We email winners before the public announcement. If a winner doesn't reply within 7 days, we may give the award to the finalist with the next-most votes.
Your name and story
By confirming her nomination, a nominee agrees that we can share her name, business, photo and parts of her nomination on our website, newsletter, social media and in The Perch. We tell her who nominated her, but we don't share it publicly unless they say we can.
Our newsletter
When you send a nomination, you'll get Ambire's newsletter. Nominees get it once they confirm. We send it about once a month, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
The fine print
We can remove a nomination that's false, incomplete or doesn't meet these rules.
Rachel and Ashley's decisions on eligibility and ties are final.
If we change these rules, we'll update this page and note the date.
Questions: hello@ambirecollective.co