An award you can't buy
Merited is an independent awards program for Canadian businesses. We started it in 2026, and 2027 is our first year.
Why we started it
We have spent years helping small businesses get found online. Again and again we saw the same email land in their inbox: congratulations, you've won, now pay for your plaque. Customers can't tell those awards from real ones, so the good businesses lose out twice.
Merited works the other way round. Nothing is paid. AI does all the judging, so who a judge knows or likes plays no part, and every business is scored on the same public evidence. Every winner has a public page that says why they won. A seal on a door should tell the next customer something true.
What we hold ourselves to
(4)- Free, start to finishNo entry fee, no winner's fee, no paid upgrades to the award.
- Same checks for everyoneAI gives every business that takes part the same four checks with the same weights.
- Reasons in publicEvery winner's page says what the judges found.
- Withdrawn when wrongIf a winner's evidence proves untrue, the award comes off and we say so.
Know a business that deserves it?
Nominating takes about three minutes. Customers, staff and owners can all nominate, and it costs nothing.