Thank you to all who nominated California leaders for the 2025 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards. Your submissions highlighted the incredible dedication and innovation of individuals working tirelessly to address our state’s most pressing challenges. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn about the work of these leaders who are committed to advancing California’s prosperity and equity.
We received a total of 356 nominations for individuals and leadership teams making a impact in our state. From this competitive pool, the Selection Committee selected 12 nominations as finalists based on their alignment with our selection criteria. As of August 30, all nominators have been notified of the status of their nominations. If you have submitted a nomination and have not received an update, please check your Submittable account.
We want to express our sincere appreciation for the time and effort invested by nominators in sharing the stories of their nominees. The Leadership Awards program relies on the valuable contributions of partners like you, and we are grateful for your participation.
To ensure a fair and efficient process, the Foundation does not provide feedback on individual nominations. However, competitive nominations typically:
- Focus on a specific approach the nominee has implemented to address a critical issue.
- Demonstrate a clear connection between the significance, innovation, and effectiveness of their work.
- Balance the theory behind the nominee’s work with concrete information about what
activities and strategies take place - Highlight how the nominee’s work represents a departure from standard practices in their field.
- Show that the work has progressed beyond the initial development stage and is fully implemented.
- Emphasize work that distinguishes itself from previous Leadership Award recipients.
- Include concrete examples and data that support the effectiveness of the nominee’s approach, particularly its measurable impacts on people and communities.
- Indicate opportunities for the nominee to leverage a Leadership Award for further impact.
- Showcase leaders and communities that reflect the diversity of California.
Over the next two months, our staff, consultants, and experts from each finalist’s field will conduct individual meetings with the finalists to gain a deeper understanding of their work and its impact on California. In late October, the Selection Committee will convene to select four to six award recipients for the 2025 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards. The recipients will be announced in early February 2025. Additional information about the nominations process can be found on the nominations page and the FAQ page of our website.
We encourage nominators to consider submitting nominations again in the future, whether by providing updated information about their 2025 nominees or nominating another impactful leader. Many Leadership Award recipients have been nominated multiple times before being selected, and we welcome the opportunity to learn more about inspiring leaders as their work evolves. We are also pleased to share that the nominations process will see some changes next year that will ease the process for nominators; details will be announced next year.
Once again, thank you for being a vital part of this process in recognizing and celebrating California’s outstanding leaders.