OUTSTANDING WOMEN AWARDS

Nominations for the 2027 Outstanding Women Awards are now open!

Help YWCA Richmond identify women in the Greater Richmond area who have made significant contributions to our community through their exceptional leadership, sustained dedication, and inspiring achievements.

In 1980, YWCA Richmond launched the Outstanding Women Awards program to recognize women in the Greater Richmond area who have made significant contributions to our community through leadership, dedication, and achievements. Having celebrated 46 years of Outstanding Women Awards, YWCA Richmond has the longest history of recognizing women leaders in the Greater Richmond community and now boasts over 300 OWA honorees.

For our 47th year celebrating 2027 Class of Outstanding Women Awards honorees, we are looking for leaders who have made a significant positive impact on our community, are committed to excellence, have exceptional leadership qualities, and are stars in their field. If you know someone who deserves this honor, please consider submitting a nomination.

View Our Complete List of Past Honorees

Criteria for an Outstanding Women Awards Nominee

Resides in one of the following cities or counties: Charles City, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, New Kent, Petersburg, Powhatan, Prince George, or Richmond.
Exhibits a high level of professional or volunteer achievement and leadership skills.
Generates significant impact on the Greater Richmond community through her endeavors.
Demonstrates passionate commitment to a cause through her activities.
Is highly respected by her peers and is a role model for other women in her field.

Before You Start:

The following are helpful hints to make your nomination strong and compelling:

The nomination pool historically includes nominations showcasing the talents and accomplishments of the most outstanding women in our community.
Nominations are valid for two years. If a woman is nominated and not selected, she is automatically considered the following year.
You may nominate a candidate in a maximum of two categories. The selection committee reserves the right to place nominees in an additional category deemed appropriate during the selection process.

How to complete the form:

We recommend that you work on and save your nomination content in a separate electronic Word document, and cut and paste your content into the form. For security reasons, the OWA Nomination Form is only saved once the form is submitted.
Make sure to keep your total application word count at 4,000.
You may collaborate with others to complete the nomination form.
Examples of impact for a nominee’s work make a strong case for review.
All nominations are due on October 16, 2026.

To view the full application before submitting your nominee, click here, Full OWA Nomination PDF.

For any questions, please contact Haley Moog, Director of Major Gifts and Advancement Events, hmoog@ywcarichmond.org.

OWA 2027 Nomination Form