FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. When does the competition for the 2011 Awards begin?

The 2011 contest begins on 1 January 2011. The deadline for the submission of entries is 1 August 2011 at 24:00 EDT. Please follow us on twitter to get announcements and alerts about the 2011 Awards. Alternatively visit this site and see all the recent news on the right sidebar.

2. How do I submit my entry?

Entries may be submitted via email or printed and mailed to our offices.  Go to How to Enter for more information.

3. Who is eligible for an Award?

Any cooperative organization or business wholly-owned by cooperatives is eligible for an Award. For more details see Criteria & Categories.

4. When will I know who has won the award?

All entrants will be notified before the end of September 2011 as to whether they hve been identified as a winner or not.  Winners will be announced at the ICA General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico on Friday, 18 November. See the ICA website for information about attending the General Assembly. 

5. What are the actual prizes?

The winners in each category will receive US$2,000.00 funding towards travel to be able to attend and participate in the 2011 ICA General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico in November 2011.

The winners will also be featured in the ICA Digest and other publications of the ICA and ICA Regional organizations. DotCoop will provide press releases and other media materials to national and international press outlets and provide various Internet-ready media on the www.coop site as well as to the winners for use on their site.

6. Is there an entry fee?

There is no fee to submit an entry.

7. Why are the categories based on revenue/assets?

DotCoop wants to be able to recognize both large and small cooperatives that are able to build on their cooperative values and principles to become successful. Based on the financial resources available to them, co-ops have to use different approaches to be successful. We want to identify "best practices" for a variety of co-ops to be able to look at to improve their business and co-op activities.