Disclaimers and Rules
- At the time of nomination, the nominee must live, work, or volunteer in the Dane County Area.
- Incomplete packets will not be considered.
- Nominations made by an immediate family member (parent, child, or partner) will not be considered.
- The committee does no further research on the nominee.
- The nomination will be kept active and on file for two years. Nominators are encouraged to update the nomination annually by adding current activities and achievements of the nominee.
- We cannot consider a candidate if she is seeking elected office this year. The nomination will be kept on file for the following year if she is no longer in the election process.
- YWCA staff/sub-contractors, current board members, and Women of Distinction committee members are not eligible to receive the Women of Distinction Leadership Award nor may these individuals nominate a Woman of Distinction or write letters of support.
- Submissions become the property of the YWCA and will not be returned.
- A panel of community members and YWCA board members reviews all complete nomination packets. All results and nomination materials are confidential.
- Award recipients will be notified of their selection once the YWCA board of directors has approved the panel of honorees.
- Not all categories will be represented in a given year as we can only honor six women.
Nominations are due by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.
Nomination Form Support Form Alternative Submission Form
Frequently Asked Questions About the Nomination Process
No. This award is intended to recognize living members of our community.
No. The committee does not accept nominations from a partner or spouse, even if you work together as business partners, co-business owners, etc. We suggest you talk with others in your community who know your partner/spouse and ask if they would be willing to nominate your partner/spouse. Chances are, your partner/spouse will have other supporters who would be happy to nominate her for a Woman of Distinction Leadership Award.
YWCA Madison believes in creating an equitable society for all. We have lots of work to do to make this a reality for women and people of color.
Eliminating racism means taking a look at policies, practices, attitudes, and actions and changing them in order to produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes for all. Racism operates historically, institutionally, and culturally to produce preferential treatment, privilege, and power for white people at the expense of people of color.
Empowering women means enhancing a women’s ability to:
- make strategic choices in all phases of life,
- obtain the career of her choice,
- improve the economic situation of women individually and collectively, and
- alter existing power structures that previously denied or underutilized women’s strengths.
The YWCA works towards these goals by:
- Advancing justice through race and gender equity programs that aim to eliminate racism, keep kids in school, and close the leadership gap,
- Helping people find and maintain employment by delivering job training and transportation, and
- Working to end homelessness by providing housing and shelter to ensure that families have a safe space in which to live and grow.
Women of Distinction Leadership Award recipients should support this vision and reflect that commitment in their achievements. Recipients actively advocate for policy changes that are intended to produce equitable outcomes for all. They serve as role models, mentors, and sponsors for other women and girls to help close the leadership gap.
- Please fill out the nomination form. Each section has a word limit, so please be clear and concise.
- Include 1 support form. Each section has a word limit, so please be clear and concise.
- Nomination formatting notes:
- Handwritten materials and faxes will not be accepted.
- Please, no binders, laminations or paper clips. Staple only.
- Please do not submit additional materials other than those requested. Resumes and articles are not required.
- Submit an electronic copy of the nomination form and support forms by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, to nominations@ywcamadison.org or submit ONE paper copy at 101 E. Mifflin Street, Suite 100, Madison, WI 53703.
- Cover Page
- Creative piece; video file, audio file or creative writing – see specific directions below
- Who you are (name and relationship with the nominee)
- Response to each of the questions outlined in the nomination form
- At least two individuals must be represented in the submission OR the piece must be submitted with a support form completed by a second individual. (https://www.ywcamadison.org/what-were-doing/race-gender-equity/women-of-distinction/women-of-distinction-nomination-info/)
- Do not submit additional materials other than those requested. They will not be considered.
Audio and other Creative Submission Guidelines
- Submit your file (under 30mbs) to nominations@ywcamadison.org, along with the cover page.
- Audio files over five minutes will not be considered.
Video Submission Guidelines
- Submit a short (3-5 minute), cell-phone quality will do.
- Production-quality videos will not be a deciding factor in the selection process.
- Videos over five minutes will not be considered.
- Videos must be submitted via YouTube, Vimeo or other video hosting platforms.
If you have any complications, please contact Jay Young at jyoung@ywcamadison.org or 608-395-2198
No. Please complete this Word version of the nomination form.
Yes. In an effort to minimize the use of paper, please double-side your materials.
Yes. Using bullet points can help the committee evaluate the nominations more efficiently and can help you make your point in a clear and concise manner.
Both. While individuals can make significant contributions to the community in their paid position, the selection committee expects to read a significant amount of information about the nominee’s volunteer work.
A Support form should be filled out by people who are familiar with the nominee’s contributions to the Madison community. Support forms should complement, but not repeat, information included in the nomination form’s required information section. A maximum of 2 support forms will be accepted for each nominee.
The names of individuals filling out these forms will be removed from the nomination packet to ensure that the content of each nominee’s recommendations is given priority, rather than the name recognition of the person completing the recommendations. We request contact information in case there are any questions.
No. Due to the quantity of information already submitted, the committee asks that you do not include supplementary materials.
No. If the honoree is selected, YWCA will arrange to have publicity photos taken.
No. There is no need to add color, borders or graphics to your nomination packet.
Answers to the questions on the Nomination Form are limited to 500 words. As you are answering question 2, remember that this biographical summary will be used as an overview of the nominee by committee members during the selection meeting. Please be specific and give concrete examples here. For example, state “Mary is the owner of XYZ products. She mentors three teenage students enrolled in X School. She serves on the board of X and Y.” etc. This response to question 2 will be more helpful to our committee members than “Mary is a wonderful woman who does so much for her community. She always thinks of other people before herself and is a shining example to everyone.”
Answers to the questions on the Support Form are limited to 300 words and should be specific and concise.
No. Nominees will be considered in all categories. However, not all categories will be represented by each year’s slate of Women of Distinction honorees, as we only honor up to six women each year.
No. Only one person from an organization can be chosen for the award. Should two people from one organization rank in the top six, the nominee with the lower score will be held over to the next year and considered again for the award.
Contact Jay Young, Marketing and Development Manager, at 608.257.1436, option 2.