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Recognizing the cooperators and worker-owned businesses at the forefront of the cooperative movement.

Each year, we are proud to recognize a range of worker-owned businesses and cooperators at the forefront of the movement to create stable, empowering jobs through worker-ownership. Over the years, the Awards have recognized bright stars of the cooperative movement, from cooperatives disrupting unjust labor practices to fierce advocates for worker ownership in public policy.

2024 Awardees

Congratulations to the 2024 Worker Co-ops and Cooperators of the Year!

Cooperators of the Year

Marcelino Martinez, Cooperator of the Year
Rek Kwawer, Ecosystem Builder
Emma Le, Emerging Youth Cooperator

Worker Co-ops of the Year

Chispas/Quetzal Community Real Estate, Industry Disrupter
Rock Steady Farm, Solidarity Economy Advocates
Red Emma’s, Movement Builder

This year’s awardees were recognized during a ceremony at the 2024 Worker Co-op Conference in Chicago in September. Learn more about the winners of the 2024 Worker Co-op Awards here.

A photo of two people standing on a stage. Person on the left has short pink hair and wears eye glasses and holds a framed certificate that reads ecosystem builder. Person on the right has long red braids, wears eyeglasses and smiles holding the framed certificate and a microphone."
A photo of a short person wearing a backwards baseball cap and apron tossing a circular piece of pizza dough in the air and spinning it. Pizza boxes and other ingredients can be seen in the background."
A photo of nine people kneeling and standing outside on a tractor with two dogs. The relatively young people are diverse in race color and gender expression and smile to the camera."
A photo of two people on a stage. Person on the left has long bleached locs and wears and a surgical face mask and holds a framed award certificate with text that reads worker co-op awards movement builder. Person on the right wears a black hat and a floral shirt and a lanyard and speaks into a microphone."

A huge congratulations to all of our Co-op of the Year awardees, especially Cooperator of the Year, Marcelino Martinez. Thank you to Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers for sponsoring this award and helping to make these recognitions possible.

Cooperator of the Year Award Made Possible By

Logo for Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers

Past Worker Co-op Awardees

Learn about the Worker Co-op Awardees throughout the years here.