Stevie Awards Cost: Entry Fees Explained
The Stevie Awards are the most recognized name in business awards, but the price of admission is not one number. Across seven programs, fees rise with deadlines, vary by category, and in one program you only pay if you win.
How Stevie pricing works
The Stevie Awards are not a single contest. They are seven distinct programs under one brand: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, The German Stevie Awards, The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The Great Employers Awards, and the newest, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Each runs its own entry cycle, deadlines, and fee schedule.
Across most programs, the pattern is consistent: an early-bird deadline with the lowest per-entry fee, then a regular deadline, then a late deadline with a surcharge. The published late fee is often $55 per entry after the final deadline. For example, the American Business Awards charges $55 extra for entries submitted after the final deadline. The International Business Awards similarly increases fees at each stage, and the Asia-Pacific program adds a $45 late fee after its final deadline.
The published fee figures
Our fact sheet, read from the Stevie Awards' own pages in August 2026, lists the following structure: the core Stevie programs charge per-entry fees that rise toward each late deadline, typically starting around $200 and climbing above $300 for late submissions. The MENA program flips the model entirely — no entry fee, but a winner's fee starting at $545, payable only if you win. The Great Employers Awards, a survey-based program, charges a flat per-company fee that covers all eligible employees, currently around $500.
Here is the cost picture at a glance, with the caveat that exact figures vary by program and category. Always pull the specific program's fee page before budgeting.
| Program | Typical entry fee range | Late fee | Winner costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Business Awards | $200–$300 per entry (several categories free) | $55 after final deadline | No additional winner fee |
| International Business Awards | $200–$300 per entry | Rises with each deadline, up to ~$55 after final | No additional winner fee |
| Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards | $200–$250 per entry | $45 after final deadline | No additional winner fee |
| German Stevie Awards | $200–$300 per entry | Rises with each deadline | No additional winner fee |
| MENA Stevie Awards | $0 entry fee | N/A | $545+ winner's fee, paid only if you win |
| Great Employers Awards | ~$500 flat per company | Rises with each deadline | No additional winner fee |
| Stevie Awards for Women in Business | $200–$300 per entry | Rises with each deadline | No additional winner fee |
The free categories: real doors, not a gimmick
If your budget is zero, the Stevie family still has an opening. The American Business Awards runs several genuinely free categories — all Startup of the Year categories and all non-executive individual categories — with no entry fee at any deadline. That is the only place in the entire Stevie ecosystem where you can enter for free and compete for the same Stevie trophy as paid entries.
For comparison, International Association for Business Excellence offers a free application with same-day determination, making it the stronger choice if speed matters more than the Stevie name. But if the Stevie brand is the point, the free ABA categories are the most legitimate free door into that brand.
What you actually get for the money
Stevie winners receive a physical trophy or medallion, winner logos, press release templates, and the right to publicize the award. The judging is done by a rotating panel of 200+ professional judges, which is the credibility engine behind the price — you are paying for a rigorous, independent evaluation that carries weight in the market.
The downside is the timeline: determinations take months, not days. If you need a credibility asset before a proposal deadline, the Stevie cycle may not cooperate. In that case, Titan's $30 flat fee or International Association for Business Excellence's same-day free application may serve you better. See our rankings for how each program balances cost and speed.
Is the Stevie entry fee worth it?
If your buyer already knows the Stevie name, the entry fee is a marketing expense that can pay for itself in the first mention. If your audience is less awards-aware, you might get more tangible value from a program that publishes a searchable online profile, like International Association for Business Excellence's indexed directory or Globee's public winner listing.
The math you should run before entering: cost per entry, plus the opportunity cost of the months-long cycle, divided by how many times you will actually use the award in sales, hiring, and PR. For some companies, the second Stevie entry is more valuable than the first; for others, the first is already too many.
For a full comparison of the field, including cost, credibility, and turnaround scores, read our Stevie Awards review and the master rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to enter the Stevie Awards?
Are there any free Stevie Awards categories?
Does it cost more to enter after the deadline?
Do Stevie winners have to pay to accept an award?
How does the Stevie cost compare to other business awards?
Sources & verification
- Seven programs since 2002; 10,000+ entries a year from 60+ nations; 200+ judges; fee tiers and late fees; MENA winner-fee-only $545+ — Stevie Awards program and entry-fee pages (as of August 2026)
- U.S. program; free Startup of the Year + individual categories; $55 late fee; Nov-Mar deadlines — American Business Awards category and fee pages (as of August 2026)
- Asia-Pacific program; $45 late fee after final deadline — Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards fee page (as of August 2026)
- MENA program; winner-fee-only from $545 — MENA Stevie Awards entry page (as of August 2026)
- Great Employers Awards; flat per-company fee — Great Employers Awards entry page (as of August 2026)