NextGen Public Service Awards 2022
Now Accepting Nominations for the 2022 NextGen Public Service Awards
GovLoop is proud to host the NextGen Public Service Awards for superior public service and achievement each year at the NextGen Government Training Virtual Summit. The awards recognize deserving individuals selected from the public service community for their intelligence, exuberance and dedication to improving and invigorating government.
General Information
Nominations will be accepted from now through July 1, 2022. Award winners will be notified the week of Aug. 1, 2022, and the category winners are honored at the NextGen Government Training Virtual Summit on Sept. 21, 2022.
Please read more about the award categories and their specific attributes. The selection committee will determine and assign categories based on the information submitted via the nomination form.
Nominations can be submitted for individuals and teams of four or fewer people. We understand that it takes a village to make change happen, however, we limit the award recognition to four or fewer people who represent the larger team and their achievements.
Nominator Eligibility
Nominators can be anyone—govie, non-govie, colleague, friend, family, supervisor or neighbor. However, we do not accept self-nominations.
Nominee Eligibility
While nominators are not required to be government employees, nominees must be current government employees and can work at any level of government.
When submitting the nomination form, please provide accomplishments that have occurred within the last three years. We’d like to ensure the finalists are being recognized for recent achievements taking place in government.
NextGen Public Service Award Categories
DE&I Champion
This category recognizes individuals who are passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. They have actively improved or implemented processes, initiatives, training, awareness or other efforts that promote DE&I at their agency.
Advancing Tech Pioneer
This category recognizes a forward thinker who has utilized technology as part of their approach to transformation. This individual is an innovative thinker who is trying to move their agency to tools like artificial intelligence or machine learning in order to allow more time for employees to actually do their mission-critical work.
Manager/Supervisor of the Year
This category recognizes a manager or supervisor who goes above and beyond for their team and individual contributors. They actually care about their team, show up for them, listen to their ideas and advocate needs to upper management on their behalf.
Outstanding Colleagues
This category recognizes an individual that exceeds expectations day-to-day. Whether they offer to run meetings, contribute ideas, or help out colleagues in times of need, you can always count on them to pull their weight and more.
Communicator of the Year
This category recognizes an individual who demonstrates strategic communication, internally and externally at their agency. This person will push the envelope to find innovative ways to share their message while keeping employees and stakeholders engaged.
Innovator of the Year
The past two years have completely flipped what workforce norms look like. This category recognizes an individual who has identified and improved their organization in an innovative way, through remote/hybrid work, brought a process up-to-date or found a way to enhance virtual culture at your agency.
Selection Process:
Two award winners are selected for each category. For each category, nominees must:
- Be dedicated to public service at the local, state, or federal level.
- Have made an impact on their work or their colleagues.
- Continue to strive for excellence and advance their organization’s mission in a positive manner.
Each nominee will be thoughtfully considered for the award by a selection committee. Award winners will be notified on Aug. 1, 2022, and will be honored at the Sept. 21 NextGen Virtual Summit.
The selection committee will score each nominee based solely on what is provided via the nomination form and finalists will be selected based on:
- The impact they have made on their work or their colleagues.
- Their leadership qualities.
- Their commitment to continuously improve government.
- Their ability to make positive change happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit a nomination?
Complete the form on this page by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 1, 2022.
I can’t access or submit the online nomination form. What do I do?
Send an email to [email protected] and we’ll be happy to send you a Word document version of the nomination form to fill out and send back to us.
Who can submit a nomination?
Anyone can submit a nomination but the nominator needs to be very familiar with the nominee’s work and accomplishments as they are directly related to public service.
Can I nominate myself?
No, but you can ask someone else to nominate you!
Can I nominate a team?
Yes, but only for the Innovator of the Year category. Nominations for teams are limited to four people, with one individual as the main point of contact. On the nomination form, please submit this person as the nominee and list the other team members (only up to three additional people) in the ‘Anything Additional?’ question on the form.
Who is eligible for a NextGen Public Service Award?
Please see the eligibility requirements in the respective section above. All government employees at any level of government are eligible to be nominated.
Which awards category should I select?
No need to select a category! The selection committee will designate a category based on the information provided in the nomination form. If you feel strongly about a specific category, please mention it in the ‘Anything Additional?’ question on the form.
Is there a limit to how many nominations I can submit?
Nope! The more, the merrier.
Does NextGen require agency/office approval before accepting the nomination?
No. While some agencies or divisions may conduct their own internal review process, we do not require advance approval by any particular office.
Who chooses the finalists and winners?
The award finalists and winners are determined by the selection committee following careful review of the nominations.
What recognition do finalists receive if not selected as a winner?
In addition to the wonderful news that the nominee’s supervisor or colleague has recognized their hard work and achievements and took the time to submit a nomination, all finalists will be recognized at the NextGen Government Training Summit prior to the announcement of the category winner.
I just submitted a nomination! When can I expect to hear from you?
Nominators, nominees and submitters (if applicable) will receive emails the week of Aug. 1, 2022, letting them know the status of the nomination.
I still have questions. Who can I contact?
For additional information, contact Leah Anderson at [email protected].
