A. Own and operate a business registered and operating in Canada (excluding Quebec) for 6 or more months (i.e. business founded prior to November 27, 2010);

B. Be the founder of the business, having developed the business concept and structure herself;

C. Have founded the company after becoming a mother, likely inspired by a gap in the marketplace she discovered;

D. Own or control the majority of the voting shares;

E. Be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company as well as the financial performance; and

F. Not be a franchisee, license holder or independent sales consultant e.g. Pampered Chef, Creative Memories.

In the case of a partnership between two or more women, at least one of the applicants must be a founder of the business. Together, the partners must meet criteria D and E above.

In the case of a partnership between a woman and a man, the woman must be the founder of the business, meet criteria D and E above and, in the event that the partnership were to break up, would retain control of the company.

The following types of organizations are not eligible for the Award:

• Franchisees, license holders/licensed owners and independent sales consultants - while these models represent important business opportunities for women and mothers, to be eligible, the business owner must be the developer of the original business concept and structure; and
• Not-for-profit corporations or associations - while not-for-profits are important organizations, the intent of this Award program is to recognize women who develop a commercial opportunity, often funded with their own capital, and are willing to take the risk to develop and grow a for-profit business.