Nominations are open for the second annual .ORG Impact Awards

Reston, Virginia-based Public Interest Registry (PIR), the nonprofit that manages the .org domain used by more than 10 million organizations, is calling for nominations for its second annual .ORG Impact Awards to honor social impact achievements.

Submissions are open until Sept. 4 for organizations and individuals across 10 categories. Each winner will receive donation amounts of up to $30,000 to put toward an eligible charitable of their choice. The second annual event will kick off on Nov. 30, with a 10-day virtual experience to honor awardees. Each day will honor the winning organization or individual from each category.

Last year, 12 awardees were honored at a gala for the inaugural .ORG Impact Awards. The event was joined by actor and philanthropist Taye Diggs, who was the 2019 .ORG Impact Awards Honoree for his dedication to the greater social good via charitable and community involvement with a multitude of .ORG community member organizations.

PIR CEO Jon Nevett previously told Technical.ly that the inspiration behind the awards gala stemmed from wanting to highlight the work that nonprofits are doing through meaningful campaigns.

“In this year marked by so much challenge and change, I am awed and inspired by the organizations and leaders in the .ORG community responding to the COVID-19 crisis and driving a generational fight for equality, equity and inclusion,” said Nevett recently in a statement. “In these areas and so many others, .ORGs are tackling intractable challenges with heart, grit, and truly innovative solutions.”

This year’s award categories are:

• Combatting Coronavirus
• Fighting Hunger and Poverty
• Championing Equality, Equity, Inclusion
• Promoting Education
• Advancing Environmental Sustainability
• Promoting A Safer Internet
• Innovation Award
• Outstanding Volunteer
• .ORG Newcomer of The Year
• .ORG of The Year

A judging panel comprised of internet, marketing and nonprofit leaders will review award submissions and the top five entries from each category will be announced on Oct. 12. Nominations must have an active website using a .org domain to be eligible.

Earlier this year, PIR had been set to be acquired by investment firm Ethos Capital, which would have transitioned it to a for-profit business, until oversight body Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers blocked the sale in April.