2026 Top Workplaces D-FW Nomination Deadline Extended

The annual awards competition recognizes the best employers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 10:18pm

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A photorealistic studio still life featuring a stack of business documents, a pen, and a coffee mug arranged elegantly on a clean, white background, conceptually representing the corporate strategy and workplace culture of the Top Workplaces program.A refined, minimalist still life captures the essence of the Top Workplaces D-FW program, which celebrates exceptional workplace culture and employee satisfaction in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.Dallas Today

The nomination deadline for the 2026 Top Workplaces D-FW program has been extended to May 15. The annual awards competition, now in its 18th year, is open to companies with 50 or more employees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and recognizes the top employers based on employee feedback through a 26-question survey conducted by research firm Energage.

Why it matters

The Top Workplaces competition highlights the best employers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, providing valuable insights for job seekers and promoting healthy workplace cultures. By extending the nomination deadline, more companies will have the opportunity to participate and be recognized for their efforts in creating positive work environments.

The details

The Top Workplaces D-FW program is free to participate in and open to all types of companies, including public, private, nonprofit, and government entities. Workplaces that qualify for the awards are evaluated by their employees using the 26-question survey, and those that exceed national standard benchmarks set by Energage are recognized as Top Workplaces. In 2025, 275 organizations were surveyed, with 200 meriting recognition and 150 ranked as Top Workplaces, including 36 first-time winners.

  • The nomination deadline for the 2026 Top Workplaces D-FW program has been extended to May 15, 2026.
  • The Top Workplaces competition culminates with an annual event where the winners are announced. In 2025, the event was held at Rayleigh Underground in Irving.

The players

Energage

A Pennsylvania-based research firm that conducts the Top Workplaces surveys for media outlets in 70 markets, surveying more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the last year.

Highlands Residential Mortgage

A company that was ranked the No. 3 midsize company in the 2025 Top Workplaces D-FW competition.

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What they’re saying

“It happens to the best of us: You have a plan to do something, then time (and life) gets the better of you, and the next thing you know, you've missed your chance. We get it. And it's why we are extending the nomination deadline for the 2026 Top Workplaces D-FW program to May 15.”

— Kathy Tran

“Winning companies are grouped in one of four categories: large, midsize, small and real estate. Recognition is earned if an organization's survey score exceeds national standard benchmarks set by Energage and ranks among the top tier of all the companies surveyed.”

— Melissa Spurrier

What’s next

Organizations will be surveyed through mid-June, and the competition's top performers will be profiled in a special publication in the fall. To nominate an employer, or for more information about the program, visit www.dallasnews.com/nominate or call (214) 550-8155.

The takeaway

The extended nomination deadline for the 2026 Top Workplaces D-FW program provides more companies the opportunity to participate and be recognized for their efforts in creating positive work environments, which can be valuable information for job seekers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.