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The window to nominate employers for Oklahoma’s 2026 Top Workplaces has been pushed back, giving organizations more time to enter a program that highlights strong workplace culture and can influence hiring and retention across the state. Nominations now close on July 17, a key date for companies planning to participate this year.
The Oklahoman is running the program for the 13th consecutive year, recognizing employers with at least 35 workers based in Oklahoma. Winners will be announced in December 2026.
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How to participate
Nominations are free and open to a wide range of employers — private companies, nonprofits, schools and government agencies all qualify. After a nomination, employees are invited to take a brief workplace survey that determines which organizations make the Top Workplaces list.
- Nomination deadline: July 17, 2026
- Eligibility: Employers with 35 or more Oklahoma-based employees
- Survey: A 26-question employee questionnaire; surveys will be conducted through mid-August
- Cost: There is no fee to participate
- Nominate or learn more: https://www.oklahoman.com/nominate or call (405) 708-6151
What the evaluation looks like
The awards use an employee-driven methodology: staff responses to the short questionnaire produce the rankings. The research partner for the project, Energage, runs similar Top Workplaces programs for media outlets in multiple U.S. markets and recently surveyed more than 2 million workers across thousands of organizations.
That external validation is meant to ensure the results reflect internal experience rather than promotional claims from management.
Why this matters now
In the current labor market, recognition as a Top Workplace can be a practical tool for recruitment and retention. For employers, the program provides a benchmark of employee sentiment; for staff, it offers a structured way to give feedback that feeds into local rankings.
Last year, 106 Oklahoma employers were named Top Workplaces, a dataset that employers and job seekers alike use when assessing organizational health and stability.
Smaller organizations that are thinking about applying should note the cutoff of 35 employees — that threshold determines eligibility. Companies already nominated have until mid-August to collect employee survey responses, which form the core of the assessment.
Next steps for employers
To enter, submit a nomination at the website above or phone the local contact. After nomination, share the employee survey link internally so staff can complete the 26 questions before the survey period ends.
Timely participation matters: missing the extended July 17 nomination date will exclude an employer from this year’s process.
For questions about the program or the survey process, reach out to the Oklahoman’s Top Workplaces team at (405) 708-6151 or visit https://www.oklahoman.com/nominate.
