Two local chambers of commerce are now accepting nominations ahead of the annual meetings.

The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce are now accepting nominations for several award categories prior to holding their annual banquets in coming months.

The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The time and location will be announced at a later date.

“We wanted to get the nomination information out to the public as soon as possible this year,” said Ida Schossow, president of the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce. “This year we are giving everyone a month to get those nominations in and we just wanted to make people had plenty of time. We’ve already received some nominations too.”

The chamber is accepting nominations from the public for several of its prestigious awards, including Citizen of the Year, Non-Profit Community Service Award and Community Service-Business Award. Nominations are open to individuals, businesses and non-profits within the greater Orange-area, which represents Orange, Pinehurst, West Orange, Mauriceville and Orangefield. All nominations are due at noon, Friday, Oct. 30.

The nominee for the Citizen of the Year Award must be a person who has served the Greater Orange Area community. The application for this nominee must include personal information and details of work done by the candidate.

The Non-Profit Community Service Award is open to any non-profit organization with a 501 (c)3 tax status and is located in the Greater Orange Area.

The Community Service Business Award is open to any business in the Greater Orange Area. This business should be selected on the basis of its civic and charitable activities during the year.

Contact the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce at 409-883-3536 or visit www.orangetexaschamber.org to obtain nomination forms and information.

The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce is also accepting nominations for awards it will present during its annual Taste of the Bayou and Chamber Banquet at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. The location has not been announced at this time.

The chamber will present its two most prestigious awards during the banquet.

Nominations are being accepted now through Wednesday, Nov. 25, for the Citizen of the Year and the Business of the Year. Nominations can be delivered to the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce office, 150 W. Roundbunch, Bridge City, Texas, 77611 by mail or in person in a sealed envelope. The envelope should be made to the attention of the Nominating Committee.

The Business of the Year Award is presented annually to the business which has made contributions directly to the Bridge City and Orangefield area during the past year or years.

The information supplied with the nomination should include details, which indicate volunteer efforts by the business and its employees and how these efforts have improved the quality of life within the community. Other valuable information to include is the growth in number of employees, increase in sales of unit volume, current and past financial reports, response to adversity, innovation of products or services offered and evidence of the contributions made by the business on specific projects or committees.

The City of the Year Award nomination should include information on how the nominated individual’s volunteer efforts have benefited the community and improved the quality of life, while describing how the candidate displayed exemplary commitment, leadership, support skills, and a desire to make a positive difference in the community during the year. Information such as volunteerism on advisory boards, project committees and other activities is beneficial.

Call the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce at 409-735-5671 for more information.