Celebrating the peoplebehind the work

A panel of judges will choose three finalists for each category based on this criteria.  Criteria for written entries:

• Quality of written submission (i.e. easy to read, thoroughly explained, well-supported, free of typos and spelling errors).

• How successfully does the submission, and the content in the submission, embody or symbolize the category?

• Does the submission grab your attention and excite/inspire/interest the reader?

• Does the submission in other ways support Toast's mission to help businesses delight their guests, do what they love, and thrive?

The general public will then vote on the finalists; the votes for each finalist will then be tallied and the Finalist with the most votes will be declared the winner. One winner from each category will be notified. Please note: If selected as a finalist, you will be asked to create a short video with your story to help the public vote!

A: Only existing Toast customers who have used Toast Services (as defined in the Toast Merchant Agreement, available at https://pos.toasttab.com/merchant-agreement) for a period longer than six (6) months may apply for and be eligible to win the Contest. However, anyone may vote for a Finalist during the Voting Period to determine the Winner. Businesses owned by employees of Sponsor or their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible for the Contest. Incomplete, unreadable, unintelligible, and fraudulent entries and any entries that violate these Official Rules will be disqualified. 

The Spirit of Service Award: Celebrates a business going above and beyond to deliver exceptional hospitality.

• Award: $10K + Toast Menu refresh (approximately a $1,000-$2,000 value).*

• Round-trip travel to Boston and two-night hotel stay for the winner to attend the Toast Community Awards ceremony (10/20/2026–10/22/2026), plus a fixed allowance for additional expenses***

• Dinner with Toast Leadership.

The Visionary Award: Celebrates a business making busy happen in an innovative way.

• Award: $10K + $1,000 software credit.

• Round-trip travel to Boston and two-night hotel stay for the winner to attend the Toast Community Awards ceremony (10/20/2026–10/22/2026), plus a fixed allowance for additional expenses***

• Dinner with Toast Leadership.

The Dream Team Award: Celebrates a team or colleague who uplifts those around them.

• Award: $10K + $2,500 gift card to be used for a team event.

• Round-trip travel to Boston and two-night hotel stay for the winner to attend the Toast Community Awards ceremony (10/20/2026–10/22/2026), plus a fixed allowance for additional expenses***

• Dinner with Toast Leadership.

For winners located outside the United States, prize values will be converted into local currency based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of award. *Must be redeemed by 12/31/26. **Free software will be provided as a credit (up to $1,000) of whatever Toast software the Visionary Winner is already using. Use of software is subject to all applicable Terms of Use.  ***“All “Expenses” are limited to round trip airfare, lodging (room rate and related taxes), food, and ground transportation up to $3,000 combined and do not include beverages. No expenses other than those listed in the preceding sentence will be covered by Toast. Airline/carrier and hotel will be determined solely by Toast. Toast will pay for 1 person per Winner business. Toast will pay for all meals and transportation during this trip for the Winner. Winner is responsible for paying for and arranging travel accommodations for any additional individuals. Attendance/admission of any additional individuals at Toast’s company event is in Toast’s sole discretion, and Toast reserves the right to remove any individuals from the company event at any time and for any reason.

We won’t be sharing the number of votes publicly or with the winners.

Glad you asked! Here they are: https://pos.toasttab.com/toast-community-awards-official-rules 

Finalists will be notified by Wednesday, June 17, 2026 by 5 p.m. EST via email.

To be considered for the Toast Community Awards, you’ll have to be a Toast customer for at least six months prior to May 15, 2026. (The day nominations open!)

Feel free to email ToastCommunityAwards@toasttab.com with your question, and we’ll do our best to respond in a timely manner.