Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will present the 17th annual Awards for Corporate Excellence (ACE) on Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at the U.S. Department of State.

The ACE, established in 1999, recognizes U.S. companies that represent American values in their business practices worldwide.

The winners, in alphabetical order by category, are:

Inclusive Hiring Practices: General Electric in Saudi Arabia and McDonald's Deutschland in Germany.

Small or Medium Enterprises: Andela in Nigeria.

Sustainable Oceans Management: Bureo in Chile and Interface in the Philippines.

Transparent Operations: Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde in Peru.

The ceremony will be open to the press and streamed live on http://video.state.gov/live/.

Pre-set time for cameras: 9:30 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance

Final access time for writers and still photographers: 10:15 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance

Media representatives may attend this briefing upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification (driver's license or passport).

Source: U.S. State Department