A: The 2022 submission period is now closed. Sign up to receive our emails to be the first to know when nominations open for the 2023 Classy Awards.

A: Organizations must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a Classy Award:

• Applicants must be a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status and a valid EIN number
• Organizations must be headquartered in the United States, but programs can operate anywhere in the world
• Organizations must have a representative who is a U.S. resident
• The representative who completes the profile must be 18 years or older
• Programs must address a quantifiable social problem
• Programs must have at least one year of measurable results
• Organizations may submit up to five programs for consideration
• Organizations must comply with all rules, restrictions, and processes laid out in the Terms of Participation

A: A program is a specific initiative run by your organization that addresses a social or environmental problem, relies on dedicated resources and budget, and has a strategy to achieve distinct goals. Programs must have at least one year of measurable results. Organizations can nominate up to 5 programs.

A: Ten organizations will be selected for the Social Innovation award category. One organization will be selected for the People’s Choice and Adapt & Overcome award categories and one individual will be selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Learn more about each category on the How to Apply page.

A: The Lifetime Achievement Award winner is selected by our Leadership Council.

A: Any organization founder, executive, employee, external agency partner, or approved volunteer can submit a nomination on behalf of an eligible organization. This person must have a thorough understanding of the organization and its programs, including financial and operational information. Administrators are also able to assign specific sections to other members in the organization.

A: At this time, only U.S.-based organizations are eligible. However, organizations can have programs that operate internationally as long as their headquarters are located in the United States.

A: No, it is free to submit a Classy Awards nomination.

Every nominee receives a link to a shareable public profile that showcases the impact of their program according to the information provided in the application. The profile is a professional resource that can be shared with donors and board members. Check out an example profile from 2021 Classy Award winner, Blood:Water, here.

A: No, organizations cannot make edits to their nomination once it has been submitted.

A: Classy reserves the right to use this information for publicity purposes through various channels, including, but not limited to, the Classy social media accounts, the Classy Awards website, the Classy blog, and the Classy Awards press release. All nomination profiles will be made public at progress.classy.org once finalists are announced.

A: All Classy Awards nominations will be scored based on the following criteria:

• Scale, scope, and expertise in addressing the problem
• Ability to solve the problem
• Creativity of the solution
• Organizational effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, and resource management

A: All nominees will be given a numerical score by the internal Classy Awards Committee based on the judging criteria. The 50 programs with the highest score will be announced as the Classy Award finalists on April 7, 2022. Without reference to the previous scores, the Leadership Council will evaluate the Classy Award finalists based on the judging criteria to determine the Classy Award winners. The winner of the People’s Choice category will be selected by public vote. Learn more about the 2022 winners here.

A: Learn more about the 2022 Classy Award finalists here.

A: Learn more about the 2022 winners here.

A: View the official rules of the Classy Awards.

A: Please contact the event organizers at classyawards@classy.org.