A 60-second scan tells any U.S. business if its Google, Yelp, Trustpilot and TripAdvisor reviews have already earned it a 2026 award

NEW YORK, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Awardy.US today launched nationally, giving any U.S. business a 60-second way to find out whether its existing customer reviews have already earned it a formal award.

Awardy is the public-facing arm of the Consumer Ratings Institute (CRI), headquartered at One World Trade Center, New York.

Awardy’s engine crawls a business’s verified public reviews across Google Business, Yelp, Trustpilot and TripAdvisor, then scores it against the 826,000+ U.S. businesses already indexed in the CRI registry. Businesses clearing the minimum threshold — 10+ verified reviews and a 4.4★ average — qualify for a 2026 Business Excellence Insignia. Other businesses that have more reviews and higher average scores will unlock options to receive a special business title. Those that don’t quite reach those heights, will receive a no-cost playbook to improve.

The model is a deliberate departure from an awards industry built largely on entry fees and judging panels. Awardy has neither. Recognition through Awardy is always free to earn, and qualification is determined entirely by customers who have already left reviews.

“My favorite restaurant in town had been steady but quiet. Then they got nominated for an award — and the local news picked it up — the next night I couldn’t get a table” said Brad Christian of Awardy.US and owner of BlackOak Mountain Vineyards in Cool, California. “Recognition changes how customers decide. It shortens the debate, kills objections and gets you more yeses.”

Awards built to be used, not shelved

Where Awardy departs furthest from the trophy business is what happens after a business qualifies. The digital Insignia, the CRI Registry listing and the amplification playbook are all free to any business that qualifies — everything a winner needs to put the recognition to work.

Winners who want amplification of the win handled for them can upgrade to a done-for-you amplification package: distribution of a local press release, and the licensed right to market as “award-winning” across social media, advertising and sales material. Physical plaques and trophies are also available to order, but payment plays no part in qualification — a business either clears the threshold on its verified reviews or it doesn’t. 

Businesses can run a free scan at https://awardy.us.

About Awardy.US

Awardy.US is the public-facing arm of the Consumer Ratings Institute, One World Trade Center, New York. Awardy turns verified customer reputation into earned recognition, helping best-in-class businesses get the awards they deserve — without submissions, committees, high entry fees, or waiting years to be found.

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SOURCE Awardy