Established companies: 3-year growth
Percentage revenue growth from FY2023 to FY2026. This is total percentage growth, not CAGR. Higher percentage growth ranks higher.
The ranking
Growth sets
the order.
Consumer 300 measures revenue growth using comparable reporting periods. Verification establishes confidence in those figures; buying an upgrade does not add points.
The published ranking tracks
Compare like with like.
Breakout Brands
Qualifying younger companies are evaluated separately using revenue growth in the most recent six months compared with the prior six months. They are not mixed into the established-company ranking.
(FY2026 revenue − FY2023 revenue) ÷ FY2023 revenue × 100
How it works
From application to publication.
1. Apply and certify
Submit your company information, revenue figures and material structural changes. Initial figures are certified by an authorized representative and supported by documentation or a CEO-and-qualified-professional revenue form.
2. Review and substantiate
Every entry is subject to spot checks. The highest-ranked quartile must complete the deeper $295 accounting review; other brands may choose it. All applications receive the baseline evidence review.
3. Publish with clear status
The list distinguishes applicant-certified, baseline-reviewed and deeper third-party-verified figures. A pending review is never displayed as complete. Corrections to revenue or comparability can change placement.
Ranking rules
Consistency matters.
Revenue definition
Report operating revenue from the applying business, net of returns, refunds, discounts and sales tax. Financing, capital raised and investment proceeds do not count as revenue growth.
Comparable periods
Use the same applying entity and accounting basis across periods. Disclose material acquisitions, carve-outs and changes in ownership or reporting.
Acquisitions
Purchased revenue must not create a misleading comparison. The council may request additional evidence or adjust the comparison to a consistent basis.
Ties and disputes
Use unrounded growth figures first. If companies remain tied, the council reviews the underlying evidence using documented, published rules. Any additional tie-break rule will be published before final ranking.
Independence
Fees, membership, sponsorship, company fame and gala attendance do not improve placement. See the independence standards and review requirements.
Awards & the ranking
Each distinction has its own criteria.
Established Brand of the Year and Breakout Brand of the Year follow the final leader in each respective ranking track. Channel and product-category awards are separate distinctions among eligible honorees, using published criteria and comparable reporting periods. They do not combine the established and Breakout growth scores or alter the overall ranking.
Product-category awards depend on a sufficient pool of qualified entries. Final categories, definitions, minimum eligible entry counts and award-specific criteria will be published before judging begins. The Independent Council applies those rules, reviews supporting evidence and documents decisions.
Read the planned awards and selection process →Standards & independence
What makes the recognition meaningful.
These are the standards for the inaugural edition. They separate commercial activity from selection and make the limits of each verification label clear.
Commercial relationships carry no weight
Membership, referral relationships, sponsorship and purchases are excluded from ranking and award criteria. Sponsors have no role in selecting honorees, directing financial reviews or deciding awards. There are no purchased ranking positions.
Comparable evidence comes first
Apply the same revenue definition and reporting periods within each track. Disclose acquisitions and structural changes. Every applicant can be asked for supporting evidence, including applicants who entered free.
Publish the rules before decisions
The growth formulas are published here. Final tie-break rules, channel-award criteria, category definitions and minimum entry counts will be published before judging. Any later clarification must be documented and applied consistently to affected entries.
Conflicts require recusal
Committee members must disclose financial, advisory, ownership and close personal relationships with applicants. A conflicted member must step out of that decision. The review and its rationale must be recorded.
A badge describes a completed check
Applicant-certified means an authorized representative certified the figures. The baseline review requires supporting documents or a CEO-and-qualified-professional revenue form. The deeper third-party-verified label means the designated accounting review was completed and approved. A pending or paid review is not verification, and the badge is not a full financial-statement audit or an investment endorsement.
Recognition does not require event spending
Every selected honoree receives a listing and standard announcement assets. Gala attendance, sponsorship and other purchases are optional and cannot affect the ranking or award decision.
Where fees fit
Paying for a process cannot secure its outcome.
The first 300 eligible applications are free; the standard application fee is $95 afterwards. The deeper third-party accounting review costs an additional $295; it is required for the highest-ranked quartile and optional elsewhere. These amounts are disclosed before checkout. A paid application receives no scoring preference over a free one.
The highest-ranked quartile must complete the paid deeper review before final placement. Paying the fee does not guarantee approval, a place in the highest-ranked quartile or an award. Other brands may qualify through the documented baseline review without purchasing the deeper review. Purchasing verification does not move a brand ahead of one with stronger qualifying growth.
What the accounting review covers →Questions, corrections & disputes
The record must be open to correction.
To question a calculation, eligibility decision, verification label or potential conflict, contact MDS with the application reference and supporting evidence. Do not send private financial documents through the general contact form; request secure submission instructions.
The review standard is a documented response from reviewers without a conflict. Substantiated errors must be corrected even when a company has paid fees or sponsored an event. Material changes to a published result must carry a dated correction explaining the change without exposing confidential financial documents.
Before the first results
Standards we still need to put into operation.
The accounting partner and three-person council have not yet been appointed. Their identities and roles, the scope of the accounting review, and the remaining award and tie-break criteria will be published before judging. Consumer 300 is an inaugural program; it does not yet have a completed verification record.
The first list will identify each honoree’s ranking track and verification status. Required deeper checks for the highest-ranked quartile and material disputes affecting placement must be resolved before those placements are finalized.
The inaugural 2027 list
Let your growth speak.
Council Picks
Ten editorial selections.
After verification, each council member nominates three or four favorites from the Top 100. Overlaps are reconciled into ten unique Council Picks with reasons. This distinction does not alter the revenue-growth ranking or its track leaders.
Meet the council’s role →