About the Annual Colorado Women's Day Awards

Nominations for any of the eight awards can come from any member of the public. Any woman residing anywhere within the state of Colorado for at least the last six months can be nominated, and no membership in any club or organization is required. All finalists, along with their organization or business, will be announced a month in advance of the Colorado Women’s Day conference Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, March 9, 10 and 11, 2022 at the Golden History Museum and the Marriott Hotel Denver West.

The deadline to submit nominations for most of the eight categories is Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

Categories:

• NREL Foundation Outstanding Woman in STEM Award
• Outstanding Young Woman in STEM Award (Ages 18 and under)

                   Two Categories for students:  Middle School and High School. Nominations due: Jan. 28, 2022.

• Outstanding Young Woman in STEM Award (Ages 19 – 25) Nominations due: Jan. 28, 2022.
• Women’s Caucus for Art Wonderful Woman in the Arts Award
• Shattered Glass Award
• Unsung Heroine Award
• Women in Sustainability’s Woman Who C.A.R.E.s Award.  
• Good Business Colorado Outstanding Woman in Business Award

About the NREL Award

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory Foundation Outstanding Woman in STEM award will be presented to a Colorado woman for her achievements in a STEM field, either as an inventor, businesswoman, advocate for STEM, or educator. Nominations for the award will be reviewed by a team comprised of NREL Foundation associates and qualified people from the community at large.

Established in 2021, the NREL Foundation serves as a bridge between NREL and donors. The foundation allows new partners and sources of capital to find ways to accelerate NREL’s cleantech mission and provides a more flexible operating platform for the laboratory.

By aggregating funding in the form of grants from disparate sources to support programs that are significant to NREL and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the NREL Foundation fills a gap in the current advanced energy, cleantech.  The website for the NREL Foundation is:  https://www.nrelfoundation.org

The Good Business Colorado Outstanding Woman in Business Award

Good Business Colorado is a nonprofit501(c) 3 organization of values-driven business owners working to build a prosperous economy, equitable communities, and a sustainable environment. Members believe that business success cannot be measured by profit alone and that true success means that our planet, communities, and bottom lines are all thriving. Nominees do not have to be a member of Good Business Colorado and may nominate themselves.

The Young Women in STEM Awards

The Outstanding Young Woman in STEM award is presented in two age categories: 18 and under, and age 19 to 25.  Judges for these categories are seeking in the candidates a combination of school grades and achievements in schoolwork, plus participation and/or leadership in STEM activities outside of regular schoolwork.  There are separate sub-categories to enter: Middle School and High School. Colorado Women’s Day is currently seeking a corporate sponsor for scholarships for both these awards. Nominations are due January  28.

Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado Chapter Award

The recognition presented by the Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado Chapter at Colorado Women’s Day will be for the woman that exhibited leadership, dedication to the arts, and hard work either as an artist, teacher, patron, volunteer, or staff member of an arts organization.  As with all 7 categories, all finalists for the Wonderful Woman in the Artscategory will be publicly recognized. The website for the Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado Chapter is:  https://www.wcaco.org.

Women in Sustainability’s Award for the Woman Who C.A.R.Es Award

The four pillars of Women in Sustainability are Community, Advocacy, Resources, and Education. The judges from the group, as well as the other community leaders comprising the team reviewing the Woman Who CAREs Award, are seeking women who have made a contribution to climate and social justice. Nominees can be an inventor, businesswoman, advocate for climate and social justice, or an educator.  The website for Women in Sustainability is:  https://womeninsustainability.org.

The Shattered Glass Award

Rosalind “Bee” Harris, founder, and editor of The Denver Urban Spectrum newspaper was presented with the Shattered Glass award for 2021. This year, judges are looking for a woman who has also shattered the glass ceiling in a male-dominated field.

The Unsung Heroine Award

Ann McDonald who is a canine psychologist and the president of Thunder Puppy K9 Rehabilitation and Rehoming in Golden, received the Unsung Heroine award for 2021. Ann has selflessly dedicated much of her life, love, and income to rehoming huskies and other large dogs. For the 2022 award, judges are seeking another woman who has donated her time to a cause and has yet to be recognized for her service. 

A Two-day Conference in 2022

The two-day conference, March 10 and 11, 2022, celebrating Colorado Women’s Day for International Women’s Day, will offer a variety of workshops and speakers of interest to women in the state. A reception providing an opportunity for attendees to meet candidates running for public office will be held on Friday, March 11.  It will be followed by the awards lunch and keynote speaker. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has been invited to give the keynote talk. There will also be a “Marketplace” with unique vendors of interest to women, a silent auction, door prizes, and gift “swag” bags for all who attend.

The first workshop that is scheduled will be held on Thursday, March 10 from 9am to noon will be presented by Joni Inman, executive director of the Colorado Women’s Alliance. “Colorado Women: Does the Community Know Your Name” will engage women in reviewing their place in the community, how to get involved in public policy, how to decide if you want to run for office, and if so, how to execute your goals and objectives.

The afternoon workshop will feature a fun exercise into planning your future. This will be presented by Betsy Wiersma, an internationally known artist and leader in women’s retreats. Betsy coordinated the popular, annual CampExperience™ event in Colorado for 17 years.

Proceeds from the 2022 Colorado Women’s Day conference will go towards helping fund water and infrastructure projects for Native American reservations and in-need communities across the globe. “There are numerous projects under the wing of Rotary International’s WASH District 5450 that need help,” said Deborah Deal, Chair of Colorado Women’s Day, and President of the IX Power Foundation. “Water and hygiene are the most basic needs, and yet in many places, even here in the United States, these needs are being overlooked. How can other needs be addressed - like education, domestic violence, safety, prosperity, and even health, if a community’s water is unavailable or so contaminated it is killing their residents?  We are honored to be working with Rotary International to address this problem that affects 1.8 billion people on the planet.”

Colorado Women’s Day, held in concert with International Women’s Day (IWD) each year and registered as an official IWD event, will mark its seventh event and this year will include two days of activities, March 10 & 11.  Workshops will be held on Thursday, March 10.  Friday, March 11, workshops will be held in the morning, followed by a reception with elected officials, and then the awards luncheon. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is the invited keynote. The event will be live, unless the COVID situation requires that it become virtual, or a hybrid virtual-live event. The conference will offer vendor tables of interest to women, door prizes, a silent auction, and gift “swag” bags for every attendee.

History

2022 will mark the seventh year that International Women’s Day has been celebrated in Colorado with Colorado Women’s Day. In many countries around the world, this is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political. International Women's Day first emerged at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe and the first time it was observed nationally in the U.S. was in 1909. The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. The United Nations’ theme for their women’s initiative is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.”  The theme for this year’s Colorado Women’s Day is “Women Take the Reins!”

For tickets to any of the Colorado Women's Day conference events, visit:  

Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/COWomensDay.