Announcing 2026 Baldrige Award: Intent to Apply Now Open!

March 19, 2026

Announcing 2026 Baldrige Award: Intent to Apply Now Open!

byAlliance for Performance Excellence

Announcing 2026 Baldrige Award: Intent to Apply Now Open!

Apply now for the nation’s highest recognition for organizational and community performance excellence: the 2026 Baldrige Award Application cycle is now open!

Reflecting the changes announced last fall, the Alliance for Performance Excellence will administer the 2026 Baldrige Award on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Building off the impactful changes of the Baldrige Reimagined process – and informed by extensive input from applicants, examiners, judges, consultants, and other stakeholders – the 2026 Award cycle introduces several meaningful enhancements designed to simplify participation, strengthen feedback, and increase value for applicants. These include:

Changes in Eligibility & Finalist Status: Potential applicants may qualify to apply through one of two standard eligibility pathways:
- Receiving the Baldrige-based Top Tier Award of an Alliance Member Program within the last four years (2022–2025) or
- Receiving a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) site visit within the last two years (2024–2025).

There is an Alternative Evidence of Eligibility process for those who do not satisfy one of the standard pathways. More information on all eligibility pathways is described here. Applicants determined to be eligible and participate in the 2026 Award process receive automatic “finalist status,” which includes a site visit in 2026, and recognition at the 2027 Quest for Excellence® Conference. Baldrige recipients are selected from all Finalists.

Community: Approved as a new award category by Congress in 2022, entire communities are now eligible to apply for the Baldrige Award (if determined eligible through one of the pathways listed above).
Improved Process & Increased Value: Building on Baldrige Reimagined, the 2026 cycle introduces streamlined and simplified evaluation processes, refined Award Criteria, and enhancements that improve the applicant and examiner experience. These changes deliver greater value through more robust and actionable final feedback with a new post‑evaluation debrief, enhanced examiner training with expanded expert support, and reduced fees for most applicants.

Intent to Apply is now open, and the deadline to submit intent (along with a nonrefundable deposit) is Wednesday, April 15 at 8:00pm ET. Full applications and final payments are due by July 1 at 8:00pm ET; applications will be submitted via online portal like with the 2025 cycle (the portal will be available on or around April 15, but applicants can begin to compile responses to questions now!).

A full Award cycle timeline is available here; note that examiner applications will be available May 1 (and due by June 1). Also note that the Business/Nonprofit version of the full Baldrige Framework will be released by the Baldrige Foundation in early April and the Healthcare/Education versions this summer.

Learn More!

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Baldrige Excellence Framework

Overview: Baldrige Framework National Technical Committee

The Baldrige Framework National Technical Committee is a formally convened body of recognized experts, recipients, examiners, and sector representatives charged with maintaining the technical integrity, precision, and consistency of the Baldrige Excellence Framework as a globally recognized standard of excellence.

Operating under the authority of the Baldrige Foundation Board of Directors, and with the approval of the U.S. Department of Commerce, this Advisory Committee, guided by its Chair, ensures that the Framework continues to reflect the highest standards of systems thinking, organizational assessment, and performance excellence, which will allow organizations and communities to improve their performance, achieve results, and sustain excellence.

The Committee’s purpose is to:

Preserve and validate the technical accuracy of the Framework’s concepts, criteria, and structure.
Advise the Foundation on proposed revisions, updates, cross-sector adaptations, and the development of additional tools and resources.
Ensure consistency across versions and sectors, maintaining the Framework’s unity, integration, and interpretive reliability.
Provide expert recommendations regarding emerging practices, data requirements, and alignment with related industry-recognized standards.
Safeguard the integrity of the Baldrige model as a trusted national and global standard.
Partner with others in the Baldrige ecosystem to coordinate a relationship between the Baldrige Excellence Framework and the Baldrige Award Criteria that is based on consistency, logic, and harmony to benefit user groups such as Applicants.

Membership in the Committee represents a professional distinction and reflects deep expertise in applying, teaching, or advancing the Baldrige Excellence Framework. Members serve as the technical stewards of the nation’s standard for organizational excellence. The term of a committee member is one (1) year and is renewable by invitation only.

Baldrige Framework National Technical Committee Listing

Data Table
Role	Name	Title	Company
Chair	Denise Shields	Board Chair	California Council for Excellence
Officer / Ex-Officio	Josh Racette	President & CEO	Baldrige Foundation
Member	Dawn Bailey	Program Manager / Senior Technical Writer and Editor	Baldrige Executive Fellows Program / Forensic Building Science, Inc.
Member	Margot Hoffman	President & CEO / Board Chair	The Partnership for Excellence / Alliance for Performance Excellence
Member	Jan Johnson	President & CEO	Jordan Johnson, Inc.
Member	Cindy Milrany	Chief Strategy Officer/Chief Administrative Officer	Freese & Nichols
Member	Urvi Patel	Senior Director - Quality and Programs	American Health Care Association
Member	JoAnn Sternke	Founder	Leader Excellence
Committee Advisor	Bob Fangmeyer	Program Director	Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
Committee Advisor	Harry Hertz	Director Emeritus - retired	Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
Committee Advisor	Brian Lassiter	President & CEO	Alliance for Performance Excellence

We are Building a Legacy of Excellence

Help us provide inspiration to the thousands of organizations in manufacturing, health care, education, communities, and government that are using the Baldrige Framework to create jobs and strengthen the economy, increase the quality and access to health care, and improve K-12 and higher education as we navigate these challenging times.

Learn More