When and where can I nominate for the 2021 Women Leadership Awards?

The nomination deadline for the 2021 WLA is until March 28th, 10PM

You can submit a nomination by filling out a nomination form here.

Who can I nominate?

You can nominate yourself, your boss, a friend, a colleague, or any professional person in your network who has made a marked difference and emerged as an inspirational leader.

When nominating a candidate other than yourself, that candidate will receive an automatic email informing them of the nomination (anonymously), and they will be given the opportunity to supplement to their nomination with further details, in case some information is missing from the original nomination.

Only fully complete nominations will be considered by the WLA jury.

The nomination process is confidential, so your name will not be disclosed to the person you nominated.

Should I really nominate myself?

It is fully appropriate, and actually encouraged to nominate yourself for the WLA.

You alone know your accomplishments better than anyone, and are the most capable person to tell your own story. We encourage all of you to reflect on the great accomplishments you have made, and submit an application.

If you receive an email notifying that you have been nominated by someone else, we still encourage you to supplement with your preferred bio, photograph and personal story. You can do so by completing a self-nomination here. This way you ensure that your nomination complies with award criteria and that all your information considered by the WLA Jury is accurate and up to date.

You can submit your nomination here.

Can nominating myself negatively affect my chances of winning the award? 

Absolutely not! In fact, we highly encourage self-nominating regardless if you’ve been nominated by someone else or not. You alone know your accomplishments better than anyone, and are the most capable person to tell your own story. Nominating yourself is fully appropriate and encouraged for the WLA.

How much does it cost to nominate? 

Nominating for the WLA is fully free of charge.

What are the different categories that I can nominate for?

There are seven categories for the 2020 Women Leadership Awards:

• • • • • • • • • • Business Leader of the Year
                  • Innovator of the Year
                  • Young Business Leader of the Year
                  • Social Contributor of the Year
                  • Entrepreneur of the Year
                  • HeforShe Man of the Year
                  • Lifetime Achievement

See full criteria guidelines for each category here.

Can I nominate for more than one category?

You can select one category per submission. Should you want to nominate the same person for more than one category, please complete a new submission.

What are the criteria for nominating someone?

The WLA recognizes women leaders, and since 2016, men supporting women, who have emerged as leaders in their field, set an example, and made a clear difference in our community.

To see the criteria for each specific category, please head over to WLA Criteria Guidelines under the Women Leadership Awards -section of our website.

What if I have been nominated before? Can I be nominated again?

Yes! There is no limitation on nominations from year to year. Each year, there is a different independent jury panel reviewing the applications. And each year, your personal story and accomplishments develop.

Please don’t hesitate to nominate again, even if you were a finalist or winner in the past.

What information do I need for nominating myself or a candidate?

All complete submissions must include basic information about the candidate, such as name, company, position etc., as well as a short biography, a photograph, and a short story-based essay motivating why the candidate would be an excellent recipient of the award.

Some categories may require additional information.

You can see details for each award category in WLA Criteria Guidelines here.

All information should be submitted in English.

If you nominate someone other than yourself, you may submit the nomination even without a short biography, a short story-based essay and a photograph. That person will be notified by email and be given the opportunity to supplement their application. However, we strongly recommend to include all details to make sure the nomination is complete, in case your candidate chooses not to supplement their nomination themselves.

The jury will only consider complete nominations.

What should I write about in the story-based essay in the Nomination Form?

We want to make sure that the nominating process is a smooth as possible for you, so we’ve put together a brief set of guidelines to follow when writing the story-based essay to ensure it conveys the right information about each nominee. For example, tell us about your own or your candidate’s 

• • • • • • • • • • leadership style
                  • core values
                  • challenges faced and actions taken
                  • measurable, quantifiable examples

Read all about the Do’s and Don’ts for WLA Nominations here.

Until when can I nominate?

You can nominate until 10 PM on March 28th, 2021.

How do I nominate someone?

Once you’re up to speed on the nomination criteria and ready to nominate yourself or someone you know, head over to WLA Nominations under the Women Leadership Awards -section of our website. After you have submitted the nomination form, which is fully confidential, an independent jury will review all nominations.

If you nominate someone other than yourself, that person will be notified by email and will be given the opportunity to supplement their application through the WLA website. The nomination process is confidential, so your name will not be disclosed to the person you nominated.

The winners will be announced at the Women Leadership Awards Ceremony, a celebratory evening event which will be held in central Shanghai on May 29th, 2021. Details and ticket sales will be announced soon. We hope you can join us!

What if I’m unsure of which category I should select? 

Please select the category that you consider most suitable for the nomination. If the jury later identifies your nomination to bet better suited for another category, they might propose adjustments to nominees.

You can select only one category per nomination.

When nominating a candidate, will they be informed that I was the person nominating them? 

The nomination process is confidential, so your name will not be disclosed to the person you nominated. However, you yourself are of course allowed to let that person know that you have nominated them.

How are the WLA winners selected? 

Each year, the WLA has an independent WLA Jury, who reviews all completed nominations and selects the finalists and winners through a careful selection process.

The WLA Jury Members are selected each year from a broad cross-section of industries and positions to ensure a well-rounded representation of professionals in the judging panel.

Where can I see past WLA winners and finalists? 

Read all about past WLA winners and finalists, as well as about WLA history in the Women Leadership Awards section of our website.

I have submitted a nomination. What’s next? 

Please note the next steps and important dates:

• • • • • • • • • • All applications will be reviewed by an Independent Jury. Two Finalists will be selected per award category, except for the category of Lifetime Achievement which will have one winner picked by the jury.
                  • Should a Candidate be selected by the Jury as a Finalist for the WLA, the Candidate will be required to appear before the Jury in person for a brief interview on May 22nd, 2021 in downtown Shanghai (the final date and location to be confirmed when Finalists are announced). Please save the dates in case you are selected as a Finalist. Nominees will be notified on or before May 11th.
                  • Following interviews, the Jury will select the winner in each award category based on scoring and awards criteria. The winners will be announced at the Women Leadership Awards Ceremony, a celebratory evening event which will be held in central Shanghai on May29th, 2021. Details and ticket sales will be announced soon on com. We hope you can join us!

Can I save a nomination form and return to it later if I can’t complete it in one sitting? 

Yes! When on the nomination page, scroll to the bottom of the page and click ‘Save Draft’. Enter your email address, a password and a draft name to save draft. Once, saved, you will receive an automatic email to the email address you entered that includes your password and a link back to the nomination form.

When you want to continue filling out the form, just return to the nomination form either through our website (make sure you select the right category – ‘Nominating myself’ or ‘Nominating a Candidate) or by clicking the link in you email. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the page and click ‘Restore Draft’, enter your email and password, click ‘Get Drafts’ and select the correct one from the drop-down menu before finally clicking ‘Restore Draft’.

I forgot the password that I entered to save a draft, what should I do? 

Your password was included in the automatic email that you received when you saved the draft. Check the email to retrieve your password. You can also go to the nomination form, scroll down to ‘Restore Draft’ and click “Forgot password?”.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. To read more about the WLA and the nomination process, head over to the Women Leadership Awards -section of our website.

We look forward to receiving your WLA nomination!