CFA Awards of Excellence & Franchisees’ Choice Designation – Celebrating Franchise System Success
The CFA Awards of Excellence and Franchisees’ Choice Designation are among the highest honours in Canadian franchising—celebrating Franchise Systems that deliver exceptional experiences to their franchisees.
Award Categories
To reflect the wide range of franchise opportunities in Canada and enable franchise systems to be rated against their peers in their class, the Awards of Excellence are divided into Traditional and Non-Traditional segments and include seven distinct categories. Winners are determined from the franchisees’ assessments.
Franchisees’ Choice Designees are entrants with survey scores exceeding a benchmark standard. Additionally, the CFA recognizes consecutive winners that have won more than five years in a row.
Why Enter the 2026 CFA Awards of Excellence?
Winning this prestigious award brings national recognition and meaningful brand exposure. Here’s what you’ll gain:
⭐ Yearlong visibility as a CFA Awards winner across all CFA platforms
⭐ Editorial features in CFA’s print and digital publications
⭐ Prestige and credibility as a recognized leader in your category
⭐ Promotional assets and branded digital collateral to help you spotlight your success across your own channels
Download the Companion Document for full nomination details and eligibility.
Important Information
📌 Participation in the CFA Awards Program is free and exclusive to CFA members in good standing at the time of both nomination and award presentation. (Brands wishing to participate must have been CFA members for one year or longer at time of nomination.)
📌 Deadline for Submissions: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Awards Presentation
All awards will be presented during the Gala Awards Dinner at the 2026 CFA National Convention, taking place on Monday, April 20, 2026, at The Westin Ottawa.
Benchmarking Report
All entrants have the option to purchase a copy of the Benchmarking Report. This report provides aggregated data on your franchisees’ responses, as well as comparative benchmark results for your category and the overall program. The report is compiled by The Portage Group and is available for a fee of $495. Please note: Orders must be placed by Friday, April 17, 2026. The report will be emailed directly to you by The Portage Group by Monday, April 27, 2026.
For questions about the CFA Awards Program, please contact Lina Zita, Membership Specialist at lzita@cfa.ca.
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2026 CFA Awards of Excellence & Franchisees’ Choice Designation – Submission Process
Entries must be submitted through the CFA Awards Portal
Entries must be submitted by individual brand. Each unique brand is required to complete its own questionnaire and provide a distinct list of franchisee contacts.
- Entry into the program is free and considered complete once the online submission form has been submitted.
- The Portage Group will confirm receipt of the registration via email and request the franchisee contact list. This list will be used to distribute the survey.
- To support franchisee participation, franchisors will receive a customizable email template to share with their network. The message encourages franchisees to complete the survey (approx. 15 minutes) and outlines the purpose of the CFA Awards Program.
Confidentiality
The Portage Group, an independent research firm, administers the CFA Awards Program surveys. All responses are held in the strictest confidence—no individual respondent or specific brand will be identified unless designated a winner, top finalist, or Franchisees’ Choice Designee.
Franchisee contact information is used solely to administer the Awards Program and is never shared. While respondents may provide written comments, they are asked not to include identifying information unless they wish to be named.
The Portage Group is an independent research firm that has been mandated to administer the CFA Awards Program surveys. Survey responses will be held in the strictest confidence, and no individual respondent will be identified.
The names of the franchise systems participating in the CFA Awards Program are never disclosed except as winners, top finalists, or Franchisees’ Choice Designees. Franchisee contact information is used solely for the purpose of administering the CFA Awards Program.