2026-2027 Circles of Excellence

About Circles of Excellence

The Circles of Excellence is a recognition program designed to guide VE firms through the key business activities and milestones of a typical school year. By completing the tasks outlined in each period, firms can earn points, demonstrating their progress and achievement in the VE program. This framework helps students develop essential career skills and business knowledge in a hands-on environment.

Total Points Possible

Circles of Excellence - Tracking for Firms Request for Review

This summary shows the maximum points a firm can earn and does not reflect your firm's current points.

Standard Points

Bonus Points

Grand Total Possible Points

Check Your Ranking

This checklist is a tool for firms to track their own progress.

Period 1 (August - October 2026)

Parameter	How to Earn a Point	Curriculum
Complete the Business Registration process	Submit the Business Registration Form and receive confirmation of approval	BR-4
Participate in the National Elevator Pitch Competition	Submit an elevator pitch by Oct. 22 to the National Elevator Pitch Competition on the Competitions Manager	SALES - 2
Create a firm social media account	Submit a social media handle to the Firm Directory through Marketplace Tools	MRK-12
Submit a signed Lease Agreement	Complete the Lease Agreement Form	FIN - 2
Total		4

Period 2 (November 2026)

Parameter	How to Earn a Point	Curriculum
Participate in the National Company Branding Competition	Submit a company branding kit by Nov. 19 to the National Company Branding Competition on the Competitions Manager	MRK - 6, DES - 6
Process Payroll (Aug-Nov)	Distribute payroll to employees through the Firm Bank Account	ACCT-11
Process Rent (Aug-Nov)	Process rent payment to VE Realty (Account #630907080) through the Firm Bank Account or Send proof of rent payment to a VE firm to pit@veinternational.org	FIN - 2, BR-3
Process Utilities (Aug-Nov)	Process utilities payment to VE Utilities (Account #630907072) through the Firm Bank Account or Send proof of utilities payment to a VE firm to pit@veinternational.org	FIN - 2
Total		4

Period 3 (December 2026)

Parameter	How to Earn a Point	Curriculum
Participate in a trade show (Nov-Dec)	Register and participate in a live or online trade show through Marketplace Tools	OPS-5, SALES-10
Submit a Business Overview to the Business Plan Competition	Submit a Business Overview to your Regional Business Plan Competition through the Competitions Manager	MGT-6
Develop a Risk Management Plan	Submit plan to the Risk Management Plan Submission Form	RISK - 3
Create firm website	Attach active website link to firm profile in Marketplace Tools	IT-5
Complete a wholesale purchase	Complete a merchandise or supply purchase on the Wholesale Marketplace, including a payment to VE Wholesale Marketplace (Account #630907145) through the Firm Bank Account, or complete the Service Firm Registration Form	SALES - 3
Complete a loan application and/or equity investment application and/or have a bank balance of $150,000 or more	Submit and receive approval of a Small Business Loan and/or Equity Investment Application and/or Maintain a Firm Bank Account balance of $150,000 or more	FIN - 4, FIN-5
Establish a Corporate Social Responsibility Policy	Submit a CSR Policy to the Corporate Social Responsibility Policy Form	HR-10
Set up firm bank account	Submit a screenshot of QuickBooks account setup or your firm's Chart of Accounts to the Bank Account Setup Form	ACCT-2A, QB
Purchase General Liability or Workers' Compensation	Process insurance payment to VE Insurance (Account #630907153) through the Firm Bank Account or send proof of insurance payment to a VE firm to pit@veinternational.org	RM - 4
Engage in student transactions (Nov-Dec)	At least 80% of students make a purchase from another firm.	PF-3.1, OPS-3
Submit the 941 Withholding Payroll Tax Form (Nov-Dec)	Complete the 941 Withholding Payroll Tax Form	ACCT-10, FIN-18
Process the 941 Remittance Payment (Nov-Dec)	Process payment to VE Payroll Tax (Account #630907102).	ACCT-10, FIN-18
Process Payroll (Dec)	Distribute payroll to employees through the firm bank account.	ACCT-11
Process Rent (Dec)	Process rent payment to VE Realty (Account #630907080).	FIN - 2, BR-3
Process Utilities (Dec)	Process utilities payment to VE Utilities (Account #630907072).	FIN - 2
Tag @veinternational or use #veinternational on social media	Submit a screenshot to the Social Media Submission Form	MRK-12, DES - 4
Total		16

Period 4 (January - February 2027)

*Indicates that the point will be updated on the firm dashboard once the period has concluded.

Parameter	How to Earn a Point	Curriculum
Participate in a trade show (Jan-Feb)	Register and participate in a trade show through Marketplace Tools.	OPS-5, SALES-10
Participate in the National E-Commerce Website Competition*	Submit website by Jan. 14 to the Competitions Manager.	IT-5, DES-8
Participate in the National Video Commercial Competition*	Submit video commercial by Feb. 11 to the Competitions Manager.	MRK-12
Participate in a qualifying round of the Business Plan Competition*	Submit oral presentation slides through the Competitions Manager.	MGT-6, MRK-8, FIN-12, DES-10
Participate in a qualifying round of FIN, HR, and/or MRK competitions*	Submit written plan through the Competitions Manager.	FIN-12, HR-10, HR-13, MRK-5
Submit the Board of Directors Quarterly Report for Q3*	Submit report to the Board of Directors Quarterly Report Form.	MGT-8
Engage in sales to individuals and/or other VE businesses (Jan-Feb)	Complete outgoing sales transactions through firm bank account.	OPS-2
Engage in student transactions (Jan-Feb)	At least 80% of students make a purchase from another firm through their personal student bank account.	PF-3.1, OPS-3
Submit the Sales Tax Form (Jan-Feb)*	Complete the State and Local Sales Tax Form.	FIN-17
Process the Sales Tax Payment (Jan-Feb)	Process payment to VE Sales Tax (Account #630907099) or complete the Sales Tax Exemption Form.	FIN-17
Process Payroll (Jan-Feb)	Distribute payroll to employees through the firm bank account.	ACCT-11
Process Rent (Jan-Feb)	Process rent payment to VE Realty (Account #630907080) through the firm bank account or send proof of rent payment to a VE firm to pit@veinternational.org.	FIN-2, BR-3
Process Utilities (Jan-Feb)	Process utilities payment to VE Utilities (Account #630907072).	FIN-2
Tag @veinternational or use #veinternational on social media*	Submit a screenshot to the VE Social Media Submission Form.	MRK-12, DES-4
Total		14

Period 5 (March - April 2027)

*Indicates that the point will be updated on the firm dashboard once the period has concluded.

Parameter	How to Earn a Point	Curriculum
Participate in a trade show (Mar-Apr)	Register and participate in a trade show through Marketplace Tools.	OPS-5, SALES-10
Participate in the National Company Newsletter Competition*	Submit newsletter by Mar. 25 to the Competitions Manager.	OPS-4, HR-18, DES-4
Submit a complete, 20-page written business plan (2 pts)*	Submit a complete business plan through the National Business Plan Competition or the Written Business Plan Submission Form.*Firms will receive 2 points for plans that meet all scoring guide requirements.	MGT-6, MRK-8, FIN-12, DES-10
Compete at the Youth Business Summit*	Qualify for and compete at any National Competition during the Youth Business Summit.Firms are eligible for 1 point through this parameter. National Competitions include the NBPC, FIN/MRK/HR, GIC, FLC, Booth Design, Sales Pitch, and Social Media Marketing Competitions.	MGT-6, MRK-5,8, FIN-12, HR-10,13, DES-10
Engage in sales to individuals and/or other VE businesses (Mar-Apr)	Complete outgoing sales transactions through the firm bank account.	OPS-2
Engage in international sales	Complete at least one outgoing sales transaction to a non-U.S. firm through the firm bank account.	SALES-11, DES-11
Engage in student transactions (Mar-Apr)	At least 80% of students make a purchase from another firm through their Personal Student Bank Account	PF-3.1, OPS-3
File the 1040 Personal Income Tax Form*	Complete the Personal Income Tax Form 1040 using TurboTax or IRS Form 1040.	ACCT-17
Submit the 941 Withholding Payroll Tax Form (Mar-Apr)*	Complete the 941 Withholding Payroll Tax Form.	ACCT-10, FIN-18
Process the 941 Remittance Payment (Mar-Apr)	Process payment to VE Payroll Tax (Account #630907102) through the Firm Bank Account.	ACCT-10, FIN-18
Submit the Sales Tax Form (Mar-Apr)*	Complete the State and Local Sales Tax Form.	FIN-17
Process the Sales Tax Payment (Mar-Apr)	Process payment to VE Sales Tax (Account #630907099) or complete the Sales Tax Exemption Form.	FIN-17
Process Payroll (Mar-Apr)	Distribute payroll to employees through the firm bank account.	ACCT-11
Process Rent (Mar-Apr)	Process rent payment to VE Realty (Account #630907080) through the firm bank account or send proof of utilities payment to a VE fi rm to pit@veinternational.org.	FIN-2, BR-3
Process Utilities (Mar-Apr)	Process utilities payment to VE Utilities (Account #630907072) or send proof of utilities payment to a VE firm to pit@veinternational.org.	FIN-2
Tag @veinternational or use #veinternational on social media*	Submit a screenshot to the VE Social Media Submission Form.	MRK-12, DES-4
Total		17

Period 6 (May 2027)

*Indicates that the point will be updated on the firm dashboard once the period has concluded.

Parameter	How to Earn a Point	Curriculum
Submit a completed Annual Report (2 pts)*	Submit a complete Annual Report through the Competitions Manager (no longer a Jotform submission). Firms will receive 2 points for reports that meet all scoring guide requirements.	MGT-9, MRK-16, FIN-19,20, DES-10
Submit the Corporate Tax Form*	Complete the Corporate Tax Submission Form.	FIN-21
Process the Corporate Tax Payment	Process payment to VE Corporate Tax (Account #630907110) through the firm bank account.	FIN-21
Create an additional Student Bank Account	At least 50% of students create a personal savings, money market, or CD account in Marketplace Tools.	PF-4.2
Submit the End of Year Student Survey*	Complete the End of Year Student Survey.	-
Tag @veinternational or use #veinternational on social media*	Submit a screenshot to the Social Media Submission Form.	MRK-12, DES-4
Total		7

Bonus Points

A firm may earn both Fall and Spring Bonus Points for the same parameter if they complete the qualifying activity during each season. For example, a firm that hosts a trade show in the fall and a networking event in the spring can earn both Fall and Spring Bonus Points for Hosting an event.

Fall Bonus Points (Aug 1 - Jan 31)

Maximum of 2 points.

Parameter	How to Earn
Host a mentor	Host a mentor and submit write-up to the Mentor Evidence Form.
Host an event*	Host an event and submit description to the Event Evidence Submission Form.* Firms may receive 1 point for events open to their school/district and 2 points for events open to external schools/districts
* 1 pt for school/district, 2 pts for external.

Spring Bonus Points (Feb 1 - May 31)

Maximum of 2 points.

Parameter	How to Earn
Showcase teacher/admin appreciation	Host celebration, post on social media, and submit screenshot to the Teacher Appreciation Form.
Complete pre/post-test averages	Administer the Pre-Test and Post-Test, which can be found by visiting the Curriculum → Quizzes → VE Assessment Exam. Submit class averages to the Pre/Post-Test Completion Form.
Host a mentor	Host a mentor and submit write-up to the Mentor Evidence Form.
Host an event*	Host an event and submit description to the Event Evidence Submission Form.
* 1 pt for school/district, 2 pts for external.

Ranking Results Period 1

Results for Period 1 will be posted November 6

Circles of Excellence

Ethical Use of AI in VE

About Circles of Excellence

Total Points Possible

Check Your Ranking

Period 1 (August - October 2026)

Period 2 (November 2026)

Period 3 (December 2026)

Period 4 (January - February 2027)

*Indicates that the point will be updated on the firm dashboard once the period has concluded.

Period 5 (March - April 2027)

*Indicates that the point will be updated on the firm dashboard once the period has concluded.

Period 6 (May 2027)

*Indicates that the point will be updated on the firm dashboard once the period has concluded.

Bonus Points

Fall Bonus Points (Aug 1 - Jan 31)

Spring Bonus Points (Feb 1 - May 31)

Ranking Results Period 1

Frequently Asked Questions