FAQ

Manufacturers with significant physical presence/operations in Wisconsin.

Your company is not required to be headquartered in Wisconsin. Your company is only required to have significant presence/operations in Wisconsin.

Companies are based on company-wide employee count, including parent company and all subsidiaries, in and out of Wisconsin. Size categories will be determined based on final application counts to balance the number of applicants in each category, as able. Total employee count will be verified. MOTY sponsors reserve the right to modify an applicant’s size category based on these findings.

No, temporary employees located inside or outside Wisconsin should not be included in the employee count.

You do not have to wait to experience tremendous growth or overcome adversity to submit an application. Many winners in the program’s history have simply been well-run, solid performing manufacturers.

No, there is no entry fee to apply for the Grand Awards or Spotlight Awards.

No. However, you are encouraged to include photos or product spec sheets of your key product(s) to help the judges understand what your company manufactures. It is not necessary to include product samples, detailed product specifications, or entire product catalogs.

Yes. Information that demonstrates your leadership in the industry, including articles and awards, should be included.

Yes. It is important that the judges understand that a company is financially sound. Submission of lengthy financial reports is not necessary, but concisely demonstrating growth or financial stability is extremely relevant from the judge’s perspective in the overall review and selection of winners. Applications that do not include this information will not be considered for a Grand Award.

Financial information will be kept confidential, and judges are screened for conflicts of interest as well as required to sign confidentiality agreements prior to reviewing applications. If your company is not comfortable submitting financial information, applying for a Spotlight Award is recommended instead.

Please provide the following for the past fiscal year and year-to-date (YTD): 

• Balance Statement 

• Revenue and Expenses 

If your company has a parent organization, submit complete financials for the parent company, as categorization is based on its demographics. 

If the parent company is private and full financials aren’t available, please include: 

• Company-wide employee count 

• Annual revenue of the parent company 

• Financials for your division/subsidiary/unit 

• A brief explanation of your relationship with the parent company 

Tip: Charts or graphs (e.g., Prior FY vs YTD revenue/expenses) are highly encouraged and helpful for judges. All proprietary financial data will remain confidential. 

Submit a nomination form here in the month of October. Company name, a contact within the company, and a brief description of why this company should apply is required to nominate. We will contact the manufacturer regarding their nomination and encourage them to apply. 

No. Award winners are determined by an independent panel of industry judges, including past MOTY award winners. The sponsoring organizations do not judge the applications and each judge is vetted to determine any conflicts of interest. If a conflict of interest is identified, that judge will be precluded from reviewing and scoring the company’s application. 

According to past judges, it has had no impact on their decisions if the application came from a second party or the company itself. It is most important to submit complete information.

No, winners are revealed at the black-tie awards banquet in February. All nominators and applicants will be invited to the event, but winners will remain confidential until announced by the sponsors during the program. 

Yes. Banquet attendees dress in formal attire (tuxedos for the men and evening gowns of varying length for women).

Anywhere from 300 to 400 nominees, nominators, key employees, and other industry executives typically attend the award banquet. Tables seat 10 people.

$175 per person for early bird pricing, or $200 for standard pricing. The President, CEO, owner, or other designated representative of each nominated company will receive one complementary registration for the banquet. There is not a discount for purchasing an entire table.