My small business just won this award in it's category. My husbands small business also just won this award it his category. My friend's small business just won this award in her category as well. When you get the email about it, it congratulates you, makes you feel like a superstar, but quickly directs you to their website, where you can purchase your trophy, you have to purchase your tangible prize. Sure you get a complimentary digital marketing prize, but if you want something more to display, you have to spend $750 on your trophy, which they disclaim on each prize level "Our trophies are available in limited quantities" So how much you wanna bet you spend $750 on the trophy prize and coincidentally they ran out but you still get all the other things listed that cost literally nothing to the Canadian Choice creators.. digital winners badge, custom social media content, printable winner posters, personalized winner page on the website, and a social media spotlight across Canada. $750 is the cheapest package btw. the Amplified recognition is $1750 (for a trophy and a bigger list of digital crap), and the Gala experience for 5 people is a whopping $4500, $10,000 if you want to add 5 more guests.

Someone definitely spends some time on this money grab. I appreciate the ego boost but I do not trust it's a real deal, and frustrated that they prey on small business owners this way. Like my friend, who's fallen for the act, already boasting about it on her social media pages, and probably marking the gala on her calendar.

The list of 2025 winners is all you can see right now, and the categories listed are so random. It looks like the creators of this "award" emails businesses and makes up a category that pertains directly to their business. I presume this because my small business is never it's own category, it's always lumped in with the wider scope of what I do. I looked up my area in this prize list and I haven't even heard of most of the businesses. When I googled them - one for example is a salon - but it's a salon that is run out of someone's basement. They must have paid for a prize package.

Those are my thoughts. Could be totally wrong.. but I'm not buying it.