Stevie Awards vs. Forbes Best Employers: Cost

These two names sit in completely different cost universes. One charges per entry and sells recognition directly. The other is a survey-driven ranking you cannot enter, cannot pay into, and cannot pursue, only qualify for. Understanding that gap is the whole decision.

Verified current: October 2026By BAG EditorialExpert review · published rubricEvery claim sourced & dated · How we score

Quick answerPick the Stevie Awards when you want an award you can actively enter and win, and you have the budget and patience for per-entry fees and a months-long cycle. Seven programs since 2002, 10,000+ entries a year from 60+ nations, 200+ judges, and the most recognized name in the field. Pick Forbes Best Employers when you qualify by employee count and want zero-cost, survey-verified workplace recognition you cannot buy. The trade-off is that there is no application, no fee, and no path for companies below 1,000 employees nationally or 500 at the state level.

	Stevie Awards	Forbes Best Employers
Score	9.7 (Platinum)	8.0 (Silver)
Cost to apply	Per-entry fee, rising toward each deadline	No application exists; no fee
Cost to be recognized	Included in the entry fee; MENA program is winner-fee-only from $545	Zero cost; inclusion cannot be purchased
Decision speed	Months, annual cycle	Annual list cycle; outcomes outside applicant control
Judging model	200+ rotating professional judges	Forbes/Statista survey of 200,000+ U.S. employees
What you get	Trophy or medallion, winner logos, press templates	Placement on the published Forbes list; no badge or certificate issued directly
Best for	Companies prioritizing the most widely recognized award name they can actively enter	Large and midsize employers wanting third-party, survey-verified workplace-culture recognition at zero cost

The cost comparison is a category error, and that matters

Asking what Forbes Best Employers costs is like asking what it costs to be struck by lightning. It is not a product with a price. It is a ranking compiled by Forbes with Statista from surveys of more than 200,000 U.S. employees, and there is no application, no submission portal, and no mechanism to pay for inclusion. A company cannot buy its way on, cannot submit itself for consideration, and cannot control whether its employees are surveyed in a given year.

The Stevie Awards are a different instrument entirely. They are an application-based recognition program with seven distinct programs, running since 2002, that accepts more than 10,000 entries a year from organizations in over 60 nations. You decide to enter, you pay the per-entry fees, and a rotating panel of more than 200 professional judges evaluates the submissions. Costs rise toward each deadline, and determinations take months.

So the honest cost comparison is not a number against a number. It is a purchased credential against a structurally awarded one.

Where Stevie wins

Active pursuit. If you want to enter, compete, and win an award you can point to, Stevie is the option that lets you do that. Seven programs with the deepest category breadth in this comparison, a 20+ year track record, and the brand equity of being the most widely recognized award name in the field. When a company decides it wants to add an award to its marketing, Stevie is usually the first name that comes up, and that is not an accident.

The trade-off is cost structure and cycle time. Per-entry fees rise toward late deadlines, and there is no free-to-apply tier in most programs. You pay regardless of outcome, and you wait months for a determination. Read the full Stevie Awards review.

Where Forbes Best Employers wins

Zero cost, zero pay-to-play, and a credibility that comes precisely from the fact that no company can influence its own inclusion. The Forbes name carries broad recognition with general audiences, and workplace-culture recognition measures something no other program in this comparison touches. For a large employer that qualifies by employee count, a placement on the list is a third-party validation that no amount of marketing spend can replicate.

The catch is structural. The program covers companies with 1,000+ employees nationally or 500+ at the state level, which means small and many midsize businesses have no path on at all. There is no badge or certificate issued directly; the placement itself is the asset. And the annual list cycle means you cannot time a recognition to a hiring push or a proposal deadline. Read the full Forbes Best Employers review.

What each one actually costs a business

For Forbes Best Employers, the direct cost is zero. The indirect cost is eligibility: if you are below the employee threshold, no amount of budget changes your position. There is also an opportunity cost in that you cannot plan around it, since the survey cycle and methodology determine outcomes outside your control.

For the Stevie Awards, the direct cost is the per-entry fee, which varies by program and rises toward each deadline, plus a late fee in some programs after the final deadline. The MENA program operates on a winner-fee-only model starting at $545 rather than per-entry pricing. Budget also includes staff time to prepare submissions, which for a serious entry across multiple categories can be substantial. There is no free tier to test the waters.

The practical decision framework

If your company has 1,000+ employees nationally or 500+ at the state level and you want third-party, survey-verified workplace recognition at zero cost, Forbes Best Employers is the clear answer. You cannot chase it, but you can qualify for it, and the credibility is real precisely because you cannot buy it.

If you are below that threshold, or if you need a recognition you can actively enter and win on a timeline you control, Stevie is the stronger fit despite the cost. It is not free, it is not fast, and it is not guaranteed, but it is available to you.

If cost and speed are the primary constraints, neither of these is the most practical option in the broader field. Programs with free-to-apply models and same-day or weeks-long determinations serve that need better. See our rankings for the full comparison across cost, credibility, and turnaround.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply to Forbes Best Employers?

No. Forbes Best Employers is a survey-based ranking compiled by Forbes with Statista from employee surveys. Companies cannot apply, submit entries, or pay for inclusion. There is no submission process and no fee because there is no application.

What does it cost to enter the Stevie Awards?

The Stevie Awards charge per-entry fees that rise toward each late deadline, with some programs adding a late fee after the final deadline. Forbes Best Employers costs nothing because there is no application and no way to pay for inclusion.

Which one can a small business actually enter?

Forbes Best Employers covers companies with 1,000+ employees nationally or 500+ at the state level, so smaller businesses are structurally excluded. The Stevie Awards have broad eligibility across seven programs with no employee-count floor, though per-entry fees apply and determinations take months.

Sources & verification

Seven programs since 2002; 10,000+ entries a year from 60+ nations; 200+ judges; per-entry fees rising toward each deadline; MENA program winner-fee-only from $545 — Stevie Awards program and entry-fee pages (as of August 2026)
Forbes/Statista methodology; 200,000+ employee survey; 500/1,000+ employee thresholds; no application; no pay-for-inclusion — Forbes Best Employers list + Statista methodology PDFs (as of August 2026)