The deadline to submit nominations for the WSU Women of Distinction and Woman of the Year Awards is 5 p.m. March 19. 

The WSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women is in charge of the event. The commission focuses on improving the lives of all women across the WSU system, said Davi Kallman, awareness coordinator and access adviser at the WSU Access Center.

Kallman said the goal of the awards is to recognize the efforts of women on campus who make it their goal to improve the lives of women at WSU by solving issues such as equal pay, equal promotion, mental health and child care.

The commission started presenting the awards in 2006. Despite previously running the awards in partnership with other organizations, Kallman said the commission is running the event itself this year. 

The pandemic had an outsized effect on everyone. However, there has been a disproportionate impact on women and their workload, which is why it is important to acknowledge these women, said Season Hoard, associate professor of political science on the scholarly track.  

This year’s award ceremony will take place over Zoom. Kallman said although recognizing the achievements of women in a virtual environment is difficult, it allows more people to attend the event.

“One of the benefits to having an online ceremony is that we can make the event as accessible as possible,” she said. 

There are several categories of awards recognizing undergraduate, graduate, staff, faculty members and alumnae. Those who have received an award in the last five years are not eligible for nomination, Kallman said. 

Hoard said she hopes there are more WSU undergraduate and graduate student nominations than last year. 

Women who work with WSU in community engagement or in other areas that improve the lives of women can also be nominated. Those who go through the nomination process must submit a letter up to two-pages long and supporting documents like letters of support or references, Kallman said. 

A committee made up of 12 people across the WSU system reviewed all of the applications using a rubric. She said those with the highest points are selected for the awards.

The award ceremony will take place from 1-2 p.m. April 16.