(BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming)
BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming is now accepting applications for the 2026 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics and Spark Awards for Entrepreneurship. Winners of both awards will be announced at the 2026 Celebration of Ethics on April 21, 2026, at the Embassy Suites in Loveland, CO. Applications for both awards will close on Friday, October 24, 2025.
Both Torch and Spark applicants will complete their own applications using an online form. To be eligible for the BBB Torch Award for Ethics, an organization must:
- Be headquartered in BBB’s Northern Colorado and Wyoming service territory;
- Be in business for at least three years;
- Be in good standing with BBB;
- Be free from government action; and
- If a nonprofit organization, be accredited through BBB’s free Charity Review process.
The BBB has distilled our deliberate focus on trust and ethics into four C’s that we use as award criteria for the Torch Awards for Ethics: Character, Culture, Customers, and Community. These criteria outline the leadership’s character, the fostering of an authentic culture, the organization’s prioritization of customer relationships, and the impact made in the community.
To start your application or for more information about the Torch Award program, visit our program page or contact Jennifer Hahnke at [email protected] or (970) 488–2033.
To be eligible for the BBB Spark Award for Entrepreneurship, a business must:
- Be headquartered in BBB’s Northern Colorado and Wyoming service territory;
- Be in operation for at least six months but not longer than three years as of January 2026;
- Be in good standing with BBB; and
- Be free from government action.
The criteria used to judge Spark Award applications and the basis for the questions in the application are:
- Character - Leaders must be teachable and open to growing with ideas. Leaders habitually seek the truth, are open to criticism, and know their personal development is never complete.
- Culture - Purposeful entrepreneurs start businesses for more than just the opportunity to be their boss or fill a gap in the market. Instead, they create organizations committed to serving the needs of all their stakeholders and make intentional decisions about who they align with to bring their mission to fruition.
- Community - The most successful entrepreneurs understand they are part of a community and commit to supporting those who support them. They give back to worthy causes and treat other entrepreneurs and competitors as peers rather than opponents.
To apply for the 2026 Spark Awards or to learn more about the program, visit the Spark Awards website. For additional questions, contact Jennifer Hahnke at [email protected] or (970) 488–2033.