Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
It was just a few weeks ago that we closed out our 2023 awards with CFO of the Year honors (go here to see the winners), but we’re already focused on next year.
Friday (as in Dec. 22, hopefully the day you are reading this column) is the last day to nominate a health care professional or volunteer for IBJ’s 2024 Health Care Heroes Award. Nominations are open until midnight, so you can still get one in under the wire.
Health Care Heroes—scheduled for Feb. 29 at The Crane Bay Event Center—is our first awards event of 2024, and it’s always one of our favorites.
The stories about doctors, nurses, researchers, volunteers and others who are changing people’s lives are always inspiring.
Next up is Forty Under 40, a signature program that honors up-and-coming leaders in business, government and the not-for-profit sector. It’s so fun to look at previous Forty Under 40 classes and see people who are now in top positions across business and government.
Nominations for Forty Under 40 are open now and will be accepted through Jan. 12. Forty Under 40 honorees will be announced April 11 at a breakfast event at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
And opening soon will be nominations for the Indiana 250, a list of the most influential leaders in Indiana. The Indiana 250 is published by IBJ Media, our parent company, in conjunction with our sister news sites: Indiana Lawyer and Inside INdiana Business.
The invitation-only Indiana 250 reception will be July 17 at Salesforce Tower.
Of course, we will have many awards programs throughout the year, including HR Impact, 20 in their Twenties, Women of Influence and more. Go to IBJ.com/events to see what’s coming up, get more information and submit award nominations.
It’s a good idea to plan ahead when submitting nominations. In most cases, you’ll need the person’s resume (or information from his or her LinkedIn page); details about the nominee’s community service; and personal information, including an email address and phone number. In some cases (for Forty Under 40 and 20 in their Twenties), you’ll need the nominee’s birthdate.
And of course, you need to know about the person’s accomplishments. You need to be able to clearly articulate why you are nominating the person.
A great nomination includes enough detail about a person’s career and community service to show how he or she stands out from others in the same industry or of the same age. Because that’s what we’re looking for: nominees whose accomplishments exceed both expectations and the accomplishments of the people around them.
Good nominations include anecdotes and data, plus at least one or two letters of recommendation that are written by people who have worked with the nominee and can share firsthand information. A letter from an important person or the CEO of a company isn’t that effective if it was written based on a resume rather than personal experience.
Another important note: If you’re nominating someone you don’t work with, try to get a letter of recommendation from a higher up at the individual’s organization. It’s always helpful to know that the nominee’s workplace supports the nomination.
We look forward to reading about the people you nominate for IBJ awards programs this year. If you have questions, you can email me (lweidenbener@IBJ.com) and Special Publications Editor Samm Quinn (squinn@IBJ.com) for more information.•
__________
Weidenbener is editor of IBJ. Reach her at lweidenbener@ibj.com.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.