Cooperative Excellence Awards at CCMA

Do you know an outstanding food cooperator who deserves to be recognized? Or have you been admiring the progress, growth, innovation, or resilience of a particular co-op.

Here is your opportunity to recognize them!

The CCMA Awards are the food co-op sector’s opportunity to recognize colleagues and cooperatives for their contributions, leadership, and commitment to cooperative values. Nominations are made by the food co-op community and reviewed by a panel of peers selected by CCMA steward, UW Center for Cooperatives.

If you know of a food co-op or someone in the food co-op community who deserves commendation, please nominate them!

Create a Submittable account and complete the online application.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Cooperative Excellence (Retailer of the Year)

Eligible nominees: Retail grocery cooperatives
Description: This award recognizes overall excellence in cooperative retail operations, grounded in cooperative principles and designed to serve both members and the broader community.
Evaluation Criteria

Organizational Effectiveness: Achieves excellence in design, management, and/or key operational processes and cultivates a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Business Results: Demonstrates consistent success in financial performance and meeting members needs while staying true to cooperative principles and values.
Leadership and Governance: Board and management work together to set clear, realistic priorities and follow through effectively.
Strategic Planning: Establishes strategic goals that support market leadership and position the co-op to respond to challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing retail and food system environment.
Member Experience: Prioritizes member and customer satisfaction through service excellence and cooperative education.

Cooperative Service Award

Eligible nominees: Individual working at a retail food cooperative
Description: The Cooperative Service Award honors an individual whose above-and-beyond contributions, leadership, and commitment to cooperative principles have made a lasting, positive impact on their co-op’s operations, culture, and mission.

Evaluation Criteria:

Exceptional Performance & Dedication: Consistently exceeds expectations, delivering results that enhance the cooperative’s operations, member experience, or workplace culture.
Innovation & Initiative: Takes risks and introduces creative solutions that lead to positive, lasting change within the co-op.
Champion of Cooperative Principles: Embodies the cooperative principles in everyday work.
Impact & Influence: Demonstrates accomplishments that have improved the co-op’s effectiveness, reputation, and long-term success.
Commitment to Community: Advances the cooperative’s mission to serve and uplift its members, employees, and the surrounding community.

Cooperative Board Service

Eligible nominees: Individuals serving on a cooperative board of directors
Description: The Cooperative Board Service Award honors a food co-op board member whose exceptional dedication, leadership, and commitment to cooperative principles have strengthened democratic governance and advanced the co-op’s goals through extraordinary contributions of time, talent, and service to both the co-op and its community.
Evaluation Criteria:

Exemplary Leadership: Demonstrates integrity, accountability, and a deep commitment to the cooperative’s mission, values, and democratic governance.
Strategic Impact: Plays a key role in guiding the co-op toward meaningful progress in areas such as financial health, community engagement, equity, or sustainability.
Exceptional Commitment: Contributes significant time, energy, or expertise beyond the expectations of board service to advance the cooperative’s goals.
Mentorship & Collaboration: Encourages effective teamwork within the board and nurtures leadership among fellow directors, staff, and members.
Community Stewardship: Demonstrates a strong connection between the co-op and its community, fostering collaboration and mutual benefit.

Cooperative Impact Award

Eligible nominees: Individual staff, board members, or cooperative champions who are working within or in service to cooperative enterprises.
Description: This award celebrates individuals who are helping redefine what’s possible in our sector—whose efforts have created meaningful change, inspired others, and contributed to a more just and thriving cooperative ecosystem.
Evaluation Criteria:

Transformative Impact: Has led or contributed to initiatives that resulted in significant, positive change for a cooperative, its members, or the broader cooperative movement.
Innovation & Vision: Demonstrates creativity, forward-thinking approaches, or new models that strengthen cooperative operations, engagement, or visibility.
Equity & Inclusion: Advances inclusion, justice, and community well-being through cooperative principles and practices.
Inspiration & Leadership: Serves as a role model, mentor, or motivator who empowers others to lead and participate in the cooperative movement.
Sustained Impact: Makes contributions that will have a lasting influence on the sector.

Cooperative Innovation Award

Eligible nominees: Retail grocery cooperatives and individual staff, board member, or cooperative champion.
Description: The Cooperative Innovation Award honors individuals, groups, or co-ops whose creative, forward-thinking solutions have transformed how cooperatives address challenges, delivering measurable, mission-aligned improvements grounded in cooperative principles.
Evaluation Criteria:

Relevance & Responsiveness: Addressed a pressing or emerging issue in a way that reflects the urgency, relevance, and complexity of the challenge or opportunity.
Innovative Approach: Introduced new ideas, systems, or strategies that significantly improve how cooperatives operate, engage members, or serve their communities.
Impact & Measurable Results: Achieved tangible, positive outcomes such as increased member engagement, operational efficiency, community benefit, or financial stability.
Scalability & Replicability: Demonstrated potential for broader application or inspiration across the cooperative sector.
Alignment with Cooperative Principles: Ensured that the innovation reinforces cooperative identity, democratic participation, and/or shared member benefit.

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