OUTSTANDING WOMEN AWARDS

YWCA Richmond Celebrates 45 years of Outstanding Women’s Leadership!

NOMINATIONS FOR OUR 2026 OWA CLASS ARE NOW OPEN!!

YWCA Richmond’s Outstanding Women’s Awards is committed to empowering women at all levels. Nominations for our 2026 OWA Class are now open! Together we will celebrate the 2026 class of Honorees, and the YWCA Richmond leadership who, in 1980, saw the need to acknowledge Richmond-area women who were boldly leading, making change and opening doors for other women to learn to do the same.

We now boast over 300 OWA Honorees, and look forward to celebrating our 2026 honorary class of outstanding women!

OWA 2026 Nomination Form

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Nominations

Thank you for your help in identifying women in the Greater Richmond area who have made significant contributions to our community through their exceptional leadership, sustained dedication, and inspiring achievements.

OWA 2026 Nominations Are Open!

OWA 2026 Nomination Form

Criteria for an Outstanding Women Award 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.

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

You may contact Cynthia Coleman at ccoleman@ywcarichmond.org or LaShawnda Peteet-Allen at lpeteet-allen@ywcarichmond.org with any questions.

OWA 2026 Nomination Form