{"id":105,"date":"2026-08-17T17:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T17:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wmw2026.runengine.com\/brilliance-awards\/?page_id=105"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T13:49:21","slug":"nominate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/","title":{"rendered":"Nominate"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n

Nominations for the 2027 West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards will open winter of 2026. Stay tuned for more information!<\/strong><\/p>\n

West Michigan Woman\u00a0<\/span><\/em>is pleased to honor the successes of women and men in our community in the annual Brilliance Awards. If you know someone who excels in their field, is committed to creating positive change, and professionally elevates West Michigan women, nominate them! Categories are explained below to help guide your nomination.<\/p>\n

Questions? Email\u00a0<\/span>events@westmichiganwoman.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n

Award Categories<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Woman of the Year | Mentor | Connector | Social Change Agent | Champion of Service
Tenacity | Entrepreneur | Emerging Leader | Best Supporting Man<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Woman of the Year<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

A well-rounded woman inspires, excels, creates positive change and serves as a role model for others. She demonstrates exemplary and \u0003innovative business practices while creating a culture focused on strong customer service, employee retention and community purpose. The Woman of the Year is a high-achiever, accomplished, visibly involved in community service, a strong business leader; she breaks down barriers, elevates other women and inspires countless others as she goes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Mentor<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Without mentors, many women would not be where they are today. The Mentor award goes to a woman who provides valuable advice and support, through a significant commitment of time and care, leading to the growth of other women\u2019s professional skills and abilities. The woman honored with this award fosters talent and empowers others so they might grow beyond their goals and achieve beyond expectation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Connector<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Business success and personal success often involve making the right connections and building synergetic relationships. Connectors are women who are less concerned about their own brilliance and more focused on shining a light on others. With her extensive network, the Connector \u0003elevates others by selflessly making meaningful connections with the sole intent of seeing people succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Social Change Agent<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

She has a voice and she knows how to use it for the greater good. The Social Change Agent\u2019s passion is doing something that most likely won\u2019t benefit her, but will help many people, a community or even humanity. Her power lies in her exceptional ability to educate, organize and mobilize to solve a social problem. Her work might not yet\u2014or ever\u2014be done, but she rages on, pressing to create a more equitable and just society for all.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Tenacity<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

The Tenacity award goes to a woman who never tires, never gives up and never backs down. She\u2019s faced her fair share of setbacks and bone-crushing blows, yet when you look at her you see only strength and resolve that leaves you awe-inspired. She\u2019s accomplished a lot, because tenacity doesn\u2019t relent. It\u2019s her grit and grace, bravery and boldness that set her apart from those less willing and able to persist.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Champion of Service<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Service is the foundation of any thriving community. The Champion of Service award goes to a woman who sees service to others as part of her lifestyle and life\u2019s mission. Whether she\u2019s dedicated her career to it or regularly volunteers to affect one special charity, she gives of her time and energy selflessly while relentlessly pursuing her cause.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Entrepreneur<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Success doesn\u2019t always come easy to an entrepreneur. It often takes years\u2014even decades\u2014of dedication and mental fortitude. Many will hit a bump in the road, and another, and another ... but the dream propels her and she perseveres. The Entrepreneur award is given to a woman who has embraced failure, tamed risk and hustled harder to build a business worthy of applause.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Emerging Leader<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Emerging leaders embody a collaborative mindset. They apply learning, embrace accountability, continuously reinvent, are digitally confident, anticipate and build for the future, and are global citizens. The Emerging Leader award honors a woman under age 35 who encapsulates what it means to be a leader of the next generation of professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n
<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Best Supporting Man<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Supporting women in the workplace is good for business. Our male counterparts should be change agents who elevate the presence of women leaders related to business equality. Sheryl Sandberg notes, \u201cThe benefits of men leaning in for equality are huge.\u201d The Best Supporting Man award lauds a male leader who mentors, advocates, recruits, promotes and shares in the work of women, with dedicated and demonstrated intent of elevating their equality in the workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-105","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nNominate - Brilliance Awards<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brilliance Awards nominations recognize West Michigan leaders making a positive impact. Explore categories and nominate someone deserving.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nominate - Brilliance Awards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Brilliance Awards nominations recognize West Michigan leaders making a positive impact. Explore categories and nominate someone deserving.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brilliance Awards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-24T13:49:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/nominate\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/nominate\\\/\",\"name\":\"Nominate - Brilliance Awards\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T17:02:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-24T13:49:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Brilliance Awards nominations recognize West Michigan leaders making a positive impact. Explore categories and nominate someone deserving.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/nominate\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/nominate\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/nominate\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nominate\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brilliance Awards\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/westmichiganwoman.com\\\/brilliance-awards\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nominate - Brilliance Awards","description":"Brilliance Awards nominations recognize West Michigan leaders making a positive impact. Explore categories and nominate someone deserving.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nominate - Brilliance Awards","og_description":"Brilliance Awards nominations recognize West Michigan leaders making a positive impact. Explore categories and nominate someone deserving.","og_url":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/","og_site_name":"Brilliance Awards","article_modified_time":"2026-08-24T13:49:21+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/","url":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/","name":"Nominate - Brilliance Awards","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T17:02:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-24T13:49:21+00:00","description":"Brilliance Awards nominations recognize West Michigan leaders making a positive impact. Explore categories and nominate someone deserving.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/nominate\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nominate"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/#website","url":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/","name":"Brilliance Awards","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":321,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105\/revisions\/321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganwoman.com\/brilliance-awards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}