Today Citizens announced it has opened its annual Small Business Community Champion Award Contest, which will again recognize the positive contributions small businesses make within their communities. Now in its seventh year, the contest will award $10,000 each to 30 small businesses across Citizens’ footprint, including 10 minority-owned and 10 women-owned businesses. This year, for the first time, Citizens will also set aside five of its 30 awards exclusively for veteran-owned businesses along with five other qualifying businesses. The contest is open until 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 1, 2024.

Citizens created the Small Business Community Champion Award program as part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen local economies and communities. To date, the program has awarded more than $1.2 million, helping 112 small businesses to further expand their operations, offer valuable products and services to customers, and support community growth.

“When a small business chooses to bank with Citizens, they are selecting a partner committed to helping them achieve their goals and have an impact in the community,” said Mark Valentino, head of Business Banking at Citizens. “We strive to be our clients’ trusted advisors, delivering personalized insights and innovative financial solutions that will give them an edge, help them meet challenges head-on and enable them to succeed.”

What: The Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award Contest: Eligible for-profit small businesses can enter for a chance to win $10,000. To enter, businesses must simply answer the following questions.

• How would you use the Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award to strengthen and sustain your business? (100-word maximum)
• How would you use the Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award to support your community’s growth and their evolving needs and behaviors? (150-word maximum)

Official rules, including eligibility, entry and submission requirements, and additional instructions are provided on the contest website.

When: The contest is open for award submissions starting at 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 18, 2024, until Feb. 1, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.

Where: To enter, please visit here.

Who: For-profit small businesses with up to $3 million in annual revenue that have been in business for at least two years and maintain a minimum of five full or part-time employees or contractors for no less than 51% of any calendar year. Businesses must be either a) a Citizens Bank, N.A. business banking account holder as of 1/18/24 or, b) based in Citizens’ footprint (CT, DC, DE, FL, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA or VT). Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Additional restrictions apply.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $222.0 billion in assets as of December 31, 2023. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn or Facebook.

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