Who is eligible. Companies must be US-based, have trailing-twelve-month EBITDA (or operating cash flow) between $1M and $10M, not be backed by private equity or venture capital, and not be a current Shore Capital Partners portfolio company. Nominees for leadership honors must have held their role for at least 12 months.
Microcap Honors is a national awards platform built exclusively for leaders in small business. These awards celebrate founders, CEOs, finance leaders, operators, and companies in the microcap space: $1–10M EBITDA businesses that make up the bulk of our economy. These are some of the best and brightest professionals in the nation.
Spotlight on small business
Recognize the best leaders and companies in the microcap market with independent judges, evidence-based scoring, and a world-class ceremony. Data is collected at nomination and verified for finalists.
Grow your network
Gain access to an ecosystem of owners, founders, operators, entrepreneurs, financial professionals, investors, experts, and influencers across a wide array of industries.
Growth
Revenue growth over the trailing three years
Profitability
EBITDA margin and how it has trended
Culture
Retention and internal promotion
Entrepreneurial
A bold, non-obvious bet and what it produced
The judges
Bill Clendenen
Former CEO, Nova Health and Health & Safety Institute
US-based, independently owned companies with trailing-twelve-month EBITDA of $1–10M, or the leaders of those companies. Companies owned or controlled by private equity or venture capital, and current or former Shore Capital Partners portfolio companies, are not eligible. Vendors, suppliers, and other companies that do business with Shore or a sponsor remain eligible.
Yes. Companies owned by founders, families, management, or employees all qualify, as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria.
Yes. The restriction applies to equity ownership by private equity or venture capital firms. Bank debt, SBA loans, lines of credit, and similar financing do not affect eligibility.
A best estimate is fine. You can enter a range; finalists will provide verified financials later. If the financials later show you are not eligible, you will then be removed from continued consideration.
Use cash generated from your core business operations over the trailing twelve months, before interest, taxes, and capital expenditures. If you are unsure, select the range that best reflects your business; finalists will be asked for verified financials later.
Yes. Nominees for the four leadership awards must have held the role for at least the twelve months before nomination.
Nominating
Yes. Both self-nominations and third-party nominations are welcome.
Yes. Customers, vendors, advisors, peers, and anyone else who has seen a leader or company up close are encouraged to nominate.
Yes. A company may be nominated for more than one award where it qualifies; submit a separate nomination for each. An individual may be nominated for only one leadership award per cycle.
Yes. For example, a company's CEO and CFO can each be nominated for their respective leadership honors, and the company itself can be nominated for a company honor.
About two minutes. No paperwork is required.
Basic company information such as the company name, industry (or closest fit), nominee's name and role, your name and contact information.
No.
Yes. Contact us before nominations close on December 31, 2026 and we will update or withdraw the entry.
Yes. Once a nomination is made, we will reach out to the nominee and ask them to fill out an application.
Applying
Once you are nominated, you will receive an email from nominations@microcaphonors.com with a link to the application. Please fill in the information as best you can. This can be done from a laptop or cell phone.
Your contact information, basic company information and a short description of the business, how the company is owned, financial information such as trailing-twelve-month EBITDA or operating cash flow and revenue, and two short answers: one on your company culture and how you develop talent, and one on a bold bet you made and what it produced. No documents are required at the application stage.
No.
Yes. Contact us before the application deadline of February 1, 2027 and we will update or withdraw the entry.
Process and judging
Analysts screen every completed application for eligibility and verify the financial figures and claims in it. Independent judges then score every verified application, convene to select the finalists, and reconvene to select the winners.
Judges score each application from 0 to 10 on four pillars: Growth, Profitability, Culture, and Entrepreneurial Spirit. Scores are based on evidence; a claim with no evidence scores as if the claim were not made.
Experienced board directors, operators, founders, and investors from a wide variety of backgrounds. Judges are selected for expertise in the fields in which we recognize companies and individuals, and are published on this site.
Shore employees do not serve as judges. Some judges may be Shore executive partners, operating partners, or advisors to a Shore portfolio company; others have no connection to Shore. Shore facilitates the program but does not score or vote.
Every judge agrees to the Judge Conflict of Interest Policy on accepting a seat and reviews the list of applicants before applications are distributed. Any judge with a personal, financial, or professional relationship to an applicant discloses it and is recused from that entry at every stage.
No. Sponsors fund the program and receive visibility; they have no role in nominee selection, judging, finalist status, or award outcomes.
Because of the volume of applications, we are not able to provide individual feedback. All applicants will receive a notification when finalists are announced.
Verification and privacy
Finalists are asked to provide a profit and loss statement or filed federal or state tax returns covering the trailing twelve months. A finalist who declines verification cannot advance.
Yes. Finalists, and the principal executives of companies named as finalists, complete a standard background screen before the finalist announcement. Results are confidential and are not shared publicly.
Application information is reviewed by the program team, its analysts, and the independent judges. Financial verification materials are used only to confirm eligibility and are not published. See the Microcap Honors Privacy Policy for details.
Yes. Only finalists and winners are announced publicly. Nominees and applicants who are not named finalists are not identified.
Finalists, winners, and the ceremony
Recognition in the inaugural class of 2027, a digital finalist badge, an invitation to the awards ceremony in Chicago, and exposure to Shore's network.
A Microcap Honors trophy, recognition on stage and on the livestream, inclusion in post-ceremony press, Shore's premier strategy session for their business, access to Shore's Learning Management System for their team for one year, an invitation to Shore's Executive Leadership Academy conference in July, and a featured episode in Shore's podcast series.
Yes. Attendance is required to receive recognition; an excused absence may be approved by the Program Lead. Winners are revealed on stage, and the ceremony is the best opportunity to meet judges, sponsors, investors, operators, and fellow finalists.
Finalists are reimbursed for travel expenses after the event. Details are provided in the finalist kit.
Yes. Guest allowances are included in the finalist kit sent after the April 1 announcement.
Yes. The May 27, 2027 ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube; a link will be posted on this site ahead of the event.
Key dates
Nominations open November 1, 2026 and close December 31, 2026.
Applications open as soon as a nominee is nominated and close February 1, 2027.
April 1, 2027.
May 27, 2027, in Chicago. More details to come.
About the program
Yes. 2027 is the inaugural class. Next year's nomination dates will be announced at the ceremony.
Microcap Honors is founded by Shore Capital Partners and supported by sponsors who help underwrite the program. Sponsors have no influence on judging or outcomes.
Use the Contact us link in the Sponsors section of this site and we will follow up with sponsorship and partnership details.
Microcap Honors
