The Centurion AwardsAn award is only as good as the way it is decided. So we publish how ours works: the criteria in plain language, the lifecycle from nomination to winner page, and the guarantees behind both. Here is how a business becomes a Centurion Award winner.
The standard: verifiable, not subjective
We do not vote, and we do not take nominations on faith. Selection is by automated evaluation against published criteria — the same criteria for every business, in every market, every year. Humans QA the data; they do not pick winners. A winner shows:
- Years in operation. A real track record, not a new arrival.
- Sustained online presence. A site, listings, and profiles that have been visible for years — not a homepage that appeared last month.
- An established customer track record. Not three reviews; a body of public evidence.
- Consistently positive sentiment. Customers and the community are glad the business exists.
- Recognition in the local community. Local guides, local press, the conversations a town has about itself.
One deliberate choice: we describe the criteria in plain language, but the exact data points, weights, and thresholds stay internal. Every "best of" program that publishes its rubric gets gamed within months of publishing it. A real local operator builds these signals over time; a fake one cannot fabricate them.
The lifecycle: three clear stages
- Nominated. A business is submitted by someone, or surfaced by our scan. The review has not run yet.
- Pre-qualified. The methodology cleared the business, and we email the operator directly with a private verification report and a signed application link. At this point the award is guaranteed on a completed application. There is no second judging round and no way to lose it to someone else.
- Won. The application is complete, our final review confirms the business, and the winner page is published.
What you pay, and when
There is a single flat application processing fee, disclosed to you after you qualify and before you pay. It covers producing the winner page, the asset kit, and a verification report. Two things matter here: we tell you that you have qualified before payment, and you are not charged if our final review cannot confirm eligibility. You are never paying for a maybe. The application is short, 100% digital, and typically processed within one business day.
What you get
- A published winner page built to be found by search and AI.
- An asset kit, including the badge and materials, to display the recognition.
- A verification report that shows the evidence behind the award.
What we will not do
No tiers. No rankings. No "finalists" or honorable mentions. No paid path to a better result. A business meets the standard or it does not, and only winners are published.
See for yourself
That is the whole process, on purpose. Nominate a business and we will run the review.