The nomination period for the city’s third annual Legacy Business Awards is now open and will be through Friday, Nov. 1. Residents are encouraged to nominate long-standing businesses that have been located within Boston for at least 10 years and contribute to the cultural, historical, and societal fabric of their community or neighborhood.

To date, 60 local businesses representing 2,267 years of service to all of Boston’s neighborhoods have been honored through the Legacy Business Program.

“The rich history of Boston is kept alive in these businesses,” said Mayor Wu. “The Legacy Business Program not only preserves that legacy, but also provides the recognition that leads to a more prosperous future for our small business community. I want to thank our partners and the Office of Small Business for all that they do in support of our legacy businesses.” 

After the nomination period closes, the City Council will review the list of nominated, eligible businesses and create a shortlist of potential awardees that a committee including representatives from City departments and Boston Main Streets will review before submitting the finalists to Mayor Wu. Selections are based on application scoring and community support. The review committee is set up to ensures that the finalists are representative of Boston by industry, neighborhood, gender, and race.

The 30 Legacy Business Award winners will be announced at a public awards ceremony next spring after which the city’s Office of Small Business will provide them with access to grant funding, a commercial lease toolkit, free legal consultation, and other technical assistance focused on succession planning and employee ownership. 

The nomination form is available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese, Somali, Russian, and French. Nominations are limited to one per resident. To learn more, visit boston.gov/government/cabinets/economic-opportunity-and-inclusion/legacy-business-program.