FAQs

Why is this awards program any different from other designations such as “Military Friendly®”, “Best for Vets”, or the “Vettys”?

Think of this program in the same light as the People’s Choice Awards in the entertainment industry. While the Emmys and Academy Awards have their place, the People’s Choice Awards are specifically designed “For the People, By The People”.

In similar fashion, the Military and Veteran Community Choice Awards are determined by you, our fellow service members, veterans, and spouses in the Military and Veteran Community. It doesn’t cost anything to vote, and these awards don’t come from a marketing firm, media company, or a select group of committee members. Instead, these awards are the result of the real-life experiences from those of us who have lived them and choose to vote.

Who created the MVC Choice Awards?

The awards were created by a group of like-minded military, veteran, and military family affiliated for-profit and non-profit organizations.

There are currently five “Hosting Partner” organizations, including: Task & Purpose, GovX, Military Influencer Conference, Blue Star Families, and PCSgrades.

Why were the MVC Choice Awards created?

The Hosting Partners saw a need to join forces and provide a grassroots level program for our fellow military and veteran community to recognize and celebrate those brands who provide outstanding service to our community and who help make the difficult parts of military and veteran life feel a little less difficult. We also see this as an opportunity to encourage other brands who might be considering supporting our community.

The awards give each of us a voice we’ve never had before to personally determine who deserves our recognition and praise.

Put simply… we figured it’s about time to have OUR voice heard.

What’s the difference between a “Hosting Partner” and a “Sponsor” for the MVC Choice Awards?

The five Hosting Partners are the foot soldiers who work through the details of the day-to-day checklists for what needs to get done. We enable the overall team effort by bringing to bear our unique and complementary strengths from each of our organizations.

Our “Sponsors” are the glue that binds it all together, by lending their name, credibility, and much needed financial support to fund the resources to make it all happen.

How are the award winners chosen?

The selection process is based 100% on voter/grader input. We do not rely on weighted algorithms or the opinions of a select group of panelists to make the choice for you.

All nominees receiving a certain minimum number of votes/grades are compared first by their overall grade point average (GPA). In the event more than one nominee has the same GPA, then the deciding factor is the nominee with the most voters/graders.

Voters are required to grade different criteria for each award category. The “overall assessment” is used to determine overall category winners, while other criteria such as “Services Offered” or “Community Impact” are used to determine winners for each of these respective grading criteria.

For example, in the award category of “Non-Profit Organizations,” voters are asked to grade each of the following criteria:

• Services Offered
• Mission & Vision
• Community Impact
• Overall Organization Assessment

The three Non-Profit Organizations with the highest GPA (and most number of voters/graders when the GPA is tied) for “Overall Organization Assessment” will receive recognition for the overall category of “Non-Profit Organizations” and will be invited to the awards banquet.

However, organizations can also earn separate distinction in the top three for the individual grading criteria of Services Offered, Mission & Vision, and Community Impact and will be recognized when the full list of award winners is published by Task & Purpose.

For a complete list of grading criteria per category, reference the Definitions, Rules, & Grading Criteria.

How many award categories are there?

For 2019, there are a combined total of ten primary categories organized into three main groups and broken down as follows:

PCS & Relocations

• Base Housing Companies
• Moving Companies
• Hotel Chains (Companies)
• Places to Live

Non-Profit Organizations – Who serve the military and veteran community

• Small (income $0 to $49,999)
• Medium (income $50,000 to $249,999)
• Large (income $250,000 and above)

Military, Veteran, & MilSpouse Influencers

• Veteran Owned Businesses
• MilSpouse Owned Businesses
• Social Media Influencers

Who is eligible to receive an award?

Officially registered legal entities are eligible to receive organization-based awards.

For the category of Social Media Influencer, the award may be given to any official or unofficial organization, or individual person who is 18 years or older by the time the voting season ends.

For the category of Places to Live, the award may be given to any area associated with a concentrated population and a defined geographical boundary, such as a city or town.

Hosting Partners and Sponsors are not eligible to receive awards for any given year they are hosting or sponsoring the awards. Also, any individual person who received wages or a salary from one of the Hosting Partners or Sponsors within the preceding 12 months as of the last day of voting, are ineligible for the categories of Social Media Influencers and Veteran/Military Spouse Owned Businesses.

For further details, reference the Definitions, Rules, & Grading Criteria.

How does a company or organization get nominated for an award?

There isn’t a formal nomination process. The only requirement is for qualifying organizations and individuals to receive votes from the MVC Community.

Individuals merely go to http://mvcchoiceawards.com and get verified to vote through our Hosting Partner, GovX. From there, you will choose which categories to vote on.

If the organization you’re looking for isn’t already uploaded into the system, you will be prompted to input some basic information, such as the organization’s name and location. Once your vote is submitted, our admins will further research the organization and populate any additional information needed for their profile. Should we have questions our admins can’t resolve, we may reach out to you for assistance in our research.

Once this process is complete, all future voters will be able to select the organization by name.

When and how are the award winners recognized?

The three organizations receiving the most votes in each of the ten categories will be invited to attend the MVC Choice Awards Banquet to be held at the Washington D.C. Hilton on 10 September, 2019 in conjunction with the Military Influencer Conference (MVC Choice Awards Hosting Partner). The overall #1 organization who received the most votes will be announced on stage during the awards banquet.

The top three from each category will also be recognized online through the official award winner list published by Task & Purpose (MVC Choice Awards Hosting Partner). The full list will further highlight the top three from every award subcategory, which include individual voting/grading criteria such as the following examples (but not limited to):

Non-Profit Organizations

• Services offered
• Community impact
• Financial responsibility

Veteran and Military Spouse (Owned) Businesses

• Quality of product or service
• Community/social impact

Finally, some of the data relating to the “PCS & Relocations” group of awards will be made available on demand through PCSgrades (Hosting Partner) for those who are conducting research relevant to their next move.

Why should I vote for a company or organization for these awards?

The MVC Choice Awards are built to celebrate those brands who provide outstanding service to our community and who help make the difficult parts of military and veteran life feel a little less difficult. If you know of a worthy recipient for these awards, help us to properly recognize them AND highlight their great service to others in our community.

When is the nomination/voting period open?

The nomination and voting period begins on 8 June 2019 (at 12am CST) and ends on 6 August 2019 (at 11:59pm CST).

Who is eligible to vote for these awards?

Any current or former-serving member of the five main branches of service (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, or Navy), including the Guard and Reserve and their spouses are eligible to vote for these awards.

How do I get verified to vote?

Simply go to http://mvcchoiceawards.com and look for the gold “Get Verified to Vote” button. This will take you through a quick verification process through our Hosting Partner, GovX. You’ll then be guided through the remainder of the voting process.

Why do I have to get verified to vote?

We take these awards seriously and believe they have the potential to greatly impact the organizations who receive them and to possibly sway decisions for members of our community who are considering which organizations to work with.

So, it’s important to ensure the voters are legitimate members of our community, whether they are service members, veterans, or military spouses.

Can I vote for more than one organization?

Absolutely. You can vote in as many categories and for as many organizations as you want. But, you just can’t vote for the same organization more than once in a given year. In short, each individual (verified) person can vote for any single organization, once per year…and they are allowed to vote for as many different organizations as they want.

I’m trying to vote for an organization, but I’m having technical issues. What do I do?

Firstly, the voting season for 2019 begins on 8 June 2019 and ends at midnight (CST) on 6 August 2019. If that’s not the issue, make sure you’re using an updated modern browser such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge. IE11 and below are not compatible with the nomination and voting process on our site. If you’re still having problems, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help.

Will any of my personal information collected during verification be publicly shared with my vote?

NO. Your individual vote(s) will not be associated with any personally identifying information or be made public by the MVC Choice Awards.

Votes relating to the “PCS & Relocations” group of awards will be shared in the form of reviews through PCSgrades (Hosting Partner) to help those in our community who are conducting research relevant to their next move. However, PCSgrades does not associate any personally identifiable information with reviews on their website. For more information, you can learn more by reviewing their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

What do you do with my info once I’m verified to vote?

Firstly, your information will be strictly handled in accordance with the MVC Choice Awards Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

But to briefly summarize…we will use your info to inform you of upcoming MVC Choice Awards timelines, such as the dates for the next annual voting season. Your information is also shared amongst the hosting partners to use for their own internal purposes in accordance with their respective Terms of Service, Privacy Policies, and all applicable law.

HOWEVER, you will always be provided the opportunity to unsubscribe to any materials sent to you by the MVC Choice Awards or any of the individual hosting partners AND the hosting partners are specifically restricted from selling, renting, or sharing access to your data with any other third parties.

How can I help my organization receive votes for the awards?

Point everybody to http://mvcchoiceawards.com so they can get verified to vote for your organization.

If you would like some sample email verbiage, banner ads, or social media posts, email us at [email protected].

My favorite service organization operates on small budgets and has less than 20,000 members nationwide, how can they compete with much larger organizations?

We understand some organizations have inherent advantages when it comes to getting people out to vote, so we’ve created more than one way to recognize well-deserving brands.

The top three organizations overall in each of the ten categories will be invited to attend the MVC Choice Awards Banquet to be held at the Washington D.C. Hilton on 10 September, 2019 in conjunction with the Military Influencer Conference (MVC Choice Awards Hosting Partner).

However, there will be additional award designations published with the full list of winners the following day by our media Hosting Partner, Task & Purpose, including the top organizations in each category based on factors like member and budget size. This list will be promoted through social media, our Hosting Partners, and more.

So, while your favorite organization may not win the overall vote total, they still have a chance to win a title for organizations within their membership and budget range…AND the bragging rights to go with it.