ESTEVAN — Nominations are now open for the 2025 Â鶹´«Ã½AVeast Women of Distinction Awards, celebrating women who have made a significant impact in their communities.
Becky Cassidy, chairwoman of the Women for Women committee, is encouraging the public to submit nominations, emphasizing that the process is simple and accessible.
"We're really trying to put a push right now on nominations," Cassidy said. "A Woman of Distinction is someone who's really made a difference in the community by showing vision, creativity, initiative, volunteerism, and just someone who really has made a difference in southeast Saskatchewan and the communities that we live in."
Nominees must reside in southeast Saskatchewan and meet the selection criteria for one of the five award categories: Innovative Leadership, Outstanding Contribution to the Workplace, Outstanding Young Visionary, Equity and Inclusion, and Outstanding Contribution to the Community. The committee accepts nominations from anywhere in the southeast up to the Manitoba border to the east, and to the Macoun-Midale area to the west, as Weyburn has its own awards.
Cassidy encouraged nominators to consider resubmitting past nominees who were not selected, noting that "people can be nominated more than one time and they're very deserving." All nominators need to do is update nomination packages with any recent information from the past year and submit it again.
The is designed to be straightforward. "We have an online form and it's literally like a Google form that you go on and you fill out and you can upload attachments and sign it in," Cassidy said. "It shouldn't take someone longer than 30 minutes to do this."
A nominee has to give permission to be nominated. The judges are outside the community and make their decisions based solely on nomination packages.
The theme for this year's awards is Women in Leadership, highlighting the diverse ways women lead in their communities.
"That really encompasses women in leadership in every role, whether that be someone who's leading on a hockey organization or leading a corporation or leading their household," Cassidy said.
The awards luncheon will take place on Friday, May 2, at 11 a.m. at the Estevan Curling Rink. Tickets will be available exclusively for nominees from April 2 to 11 before opening to the public on April 14. Tickets can be purchased at Henders Drugs in Estevan or via email at [email protected].
Cassidy highlighted the strong support from the community and sponsors but urged people to take action in nominating outstanding women.
"Now we just need to get people to get nominating," she said.
Nominations must be submitted by March 14. More information, including eligibility criteria and nomination forms, is available on e.
