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Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

Baldrige Award

Demonstrate Your Organization’s Resilience and Be Recognized as a National Role Model

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award® is the highest level of national recognition that a U.S. organization can receive for performance excellence, particularly in relation to resilience and long-term success. The 2025 Baldrige Award Criteria focus on nine sections:

Baldrige Award 2025 Overview Webinar — Key insights on the 2025 Baldrige Award Process, Award Criteria, and the Baldrige Framework.

To receive the award, an organization must demonstrate organizational resilience and long-term success through favorable performance levels and trends, comparisons to competitors and industry benchmarks (as appropriate), and relevant metrics. Organizations do not receive the award for specific products or services.

Benefits of Applying

Whether your organization is named a national role model, a finalist, or an applicant for the award, there is much value in participating in the Baldrige Award process:

Winning the Baldrige Award—or being named a finalist—means being recognized for exemplifying excellence, innovation, and resilience.

Every applicant will receive an evaluation report with unique insights related to its performance, innovation, and readiness for disruption. Such insights will allow the organization to prioritize improvement strategies and improve its operations using proven best practices. Another goal of the report is transparency—reports will show the examiners’ ratings, rationales, and evidence.

Baldrige Award recipients are identified as national role models of resilience and long-term success. Their performance sets the example for others. In addition, they often see enhanced financial and other benefits, including more visibility for contracts, certifications, and community connections.

An applicant may receive a special recognition related to its core business/values and aligned with its organization’s purpose; such special recognition is a point of pride for shareholders, workforce members, and other stakeholders.

Baldrige Award winners expand their customer base and attract more engaged workforce members—often in challenging labor markets. Participating in the Baldrige Award process may be part of community stewardship; organizations’ participation will help other organizations—health care, education, nonprofits, communities—-improve for the betterment of the nation.

Organizations that participate in the Baldrige Award process or with other products/services become part of a global community of learners who share proven best practices in management and leadership within and across industry and sectors.

About the Award

Up to 18 awards are given annually across six eligibility categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care, and nonprofit. Award recipients that are nominated for a subsequent award are not included in the total cap of 18.

Award recipients must share information about their exceptional performance practices with other U.S. organizations, but they don't need to share proprietary information, even if they included this information in their award applications. The principal mechanisms for sharing information are The Quest for Excellence® Conference, and the Baldrige Fall Conference (held in collaboration with state local Baldrige-based programs). Sharing beyond the Quest for Excellence® Conference is voluntary.

The Baldrige Program keeps the identity of all applicant organizations confidential unless they receive the award or special recognition. We treat all information submitted by applicants as strictly confidential, and we have numerous protocols and processes in place to protect applicants and ensure the integrity of the award.

What People Are Saying

Baldrige application process provided…invaluable feedback
that will help shape our future efforts

Brian Coltharp, President and Chief Executive Officer, Freese and Nichols Inc.
__________________________________

The rigorous Baldrige application process provided us with invaluable feedback that will help shape our future efforts and strengthen our role as sustainable partners for our colleagues and clients. As we celebrate our 130th anniversary this year, winning our second Baldrige Award reaffirms our role as a trusted adviser to our clients and inspires us to continue working to be a national role model for business excellence.

Contacts

Baldrige Customer Service

baldrige@nist.gov

(301) 975-2036

NIST/BPEP
100 Bureau Drive, M/S 1020
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020

Created February 18, 2010, Updated February 26, 2025

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

Baldrige Award

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Demonstrate Your Organization’s Resilience and Be Recognized as a National Role Model

Benefits of Applying

National and Industry Recognition as a U.S. Role Model​

Evaluation Report with Unique Insights

Competitive Advantage

Special Recognition

Enhancement of Your Brand and Reputation

A Leading-Edge, Proven Model for Long-Term Success​

About the Award

Baldrige application process provided…invaluable feedback that will help shape our future efforts

Related Links

Contacts

Baldrige application process provided…invaluable feedback
that will help shape our future efforts