Nominations for the 2027 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards are now closed. Thank you to all who submitted nominations — whether by recognizing an inspirational California leader or by sharing your own story. We appreciate your time and effort in uplifting those who are driving innovative solutions to critical challenges in California.
The selection process begins in early May and will conclude in early November 2026. We anticipate publicly announcing the Award recipients in February 2027.
Selection Timeline
| Early May – Late July 2026 | The Leadership Awards team reviews all nominations, advancing to the Selection Committee those that best meet the selection criteria and represent California’s diversity. |
| Early August 2026 | The Selection Committee meets to review nominations and selects 10-12 finalists. Finalists are notified. |
| August – October 2026 | Leadership Awards staff, consultants, and an expert in each finalist’s field of work meet with finalists individually to further understand their work and its impact on California. All nominators are notified about the status of their nomination. |
| Early November 2026 | The Selection Committee meets to review reports of the site visits and to select four to six Award recipients. Recipients and other finalists are notified. |
| February 2027 | Award recipients are announced. |
While the anticipation builds for the 2027 Awards announcement, we hope you will take a moment to learn about this year’s Award recipients and their groundbreaking solutions. We also encourage you to follow the Leadership Awards on social media for the latest news!
If you have any questions about the Leadership Awards or the selection process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.