Recognises an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership in embedding social purpose across their organisation's core business, and in advancing purpose through collaboration and influence beyond the company.

Eligibility: Leaders driving social purpose across Canada. You can apply for yourself or nominate a colleague or peer whose leadership inspires you.

Judges Look For:

• Demonstrated impact in embedding purpose across their organisation's core business, systems and decisions.
• Innovation in advancing purpose through strategy, operations, products or partnerships.
• Leadership that mobilizes colleagues, partners, stakeholders and community around purpose.
• Measurable social and/or environmental outcomes that relate to the organisation's purpose.

Celebrates cross-sector collaborations that demonstrate bold, purpose-driven innovation with lasting impact.

Eligibility: Open to partnerships involving businesses and/or charities with operations in Canada. Charities may only apply under this category. You can apply on behalf of your partnership or nominate a partnership whose collaboration you admire.

Judges Look For:

• Multi-stakeholder collaboration and advocacy.
• Creative approaches to advancing social or environmental goals.
• Measurable and enduring results.
• Scalability or replicability of the partnership model.

Celebrates companies that fully integrate social purpose in their core business, integrating it into governance, operations, culture, interest group relationships and reporting, and that advance purpose-led business in Canada.

Eligibility: You can apply on behalf of your company or nominate another organisation whose purpose integration you admire. Open to businesses operating in Canada, categorized by revenue size.

• Small: Up to $10M annual revenue
• Medium: $10M–$100M annual revenue
• Large: $100M+ annual revenue

Judges Look For:

• Evidence that purpose shapes how the company operates — whether through formal governance and strategy or through cultural practices and everyday decision-making — and is reflected across products, services, customer experience, and culture.
• Evidence of how social purpose has influenced the organisation's products, services, or operations and where relevant, its business performance.
• Measurable social or environmental impact as a result of the purpose.
• Impactful social purpose collaborations.
• Leadership in advancing purpose-led business in Canada.

Recognises CEOs who champion social purpose from the highest level of leadership, embedding it in strategy, governance, culture, and interest group relationships and serving as a visible spokesperson for purpose-led business.

Eligibility: Open to CEOs of businesses operating in Canada categorized by revenue size. CEOs can apply for themselves or you can nominate a CEO whose leadership inspires your organisation.

• Small: Up to $10M annual revenue
• Medium: $10M–$100M annual revenue
• Large: $100M+ annual revenue

Judges Look For:

• Visionary CEO leadership that mobilizes the organisation, stakeholders and community around its purpose.
• Measurable organisational purpose impact driven by CEO leadership and evidence that purpose leadership contributes to business performance and long-term value creation.
• Purpose reflected in strategy, decisions, and how the organisation is run through formal or informal means.
• Cultural transformation that embeds purpose across the organisation.
• Industry leadership or influence in advancing purpose-led business in Canada.

Recognises rising leaders who are helping shape the future of purpose-led business through innovation, leadership and impact.

Eligibility: Young professionals (under 40 as of June 1, 2026) pioneering purpose-led innovation and impact. You can apply for yourself or nominate an emerging leader whose work you believe deserves recognition.

Judges Look For:

• Demonstrated impact advancing social purpose within and beyond their organisation, despite early-career stage.
• Innovative approaches to purpose integration or purpose impact.
• Emerging leadership and strong potential and trajectory as a future purpose leader and influencer.
• Ability to mobilize colleagues, partners, stakeholders and community to advance social purpose.
• Commitment to advancing purpose-led business over the long term.

Brought to you in partnership with the Canadian Purpose Economy Project, this award recognises excellence in transparently reporting on an organisation’s social purpose, how it is embedded in the organisation, and the progress, performance and impact achieved in advancing it.

Eligibility: Open to businesses operating in Canada (any size, any industry). You can submit your report or nominate another organisation whose reporting you admire.

Judges Look For:

• Clear articulation of the organisation’s social purpose and disclosure of board and management oversight and accountability.
• Evidence that pursuing purpose contributes to commercial success, including revenues from purpose-aligned products or services.
• Meaningful disclosure of purpose integration across strategy, operations and culture, supported by metrics and targets.
• Transparency about how partners and value chain stakeholders contribute to advancing the organisation’s purpose.
• Honest communication of progress, challenges and learning, demonstrating authenticity and accountability.

Recognises organisations that authentically and compellingly communicate their purpose and impact, inspiring stakeholders and community and advancing the broader purpose movement.

Eligibility: Organisations and individuals who excel at communicating their purpose journey in authentic, compelling, and accessible ways. Submit your story or nominate someone whose storytelling moves you.

Judges Look For:

• Authentic storytelling reflecting genuine commitment (not purposewashing).
• Creative and engaging approaches that resonate with diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated impact of storytelling on interest group engagement or behaviour, evidenced through campaign, viewership, visitor or other metrics.
• Strategic use of narrative to advance both organisational and societal goals.
• Contribution to shifting public understanding of purpose-led business.