The Light of Literacy Awards recognize the work of individuals, groups and businesses in promoting and supporting the power of literacy through acts of extraordinary kindness, courage, selflessness or education in our community.

Literacy is defined as the ability to take in information and use it productively to improve one’s situation, make wise decisions, to create new opportunities, or to be of benefit to the greater community. It includes traditional literacy (reading and writing) as well as ‘life skill’ literacies (computer literacy, financial literacy, health literacy, information literacy) and cultivation of family or generational literacy.

For your nomination, please provide specific examples that demonstrate how your nominee has impacted our community in any or all of the following ways:

• Changed another’s life through the power of literacy
• Created works that are representative of a desire to promote learning and knowledge through the power of literacy
• Created innovative educational programs related to promoting literacy
• Motivated groups to support the cause of literacy
• Demonstrated dedication to excellence in a cause benefiting education and learning
• Developed a program or another literacy service that benefits the community
• Participated in an action of extraordinary kindness, courage or selflessness within our community

2023 Award Recognition Categories

Student Award - (an individual enrolled in formal instruction and not more than 22 years old)
An individual or group whose actions demonstrate leadership and a commitment to community. Examples include reading to young students, tutoring, working with struggling students, working to provide books, computers or other education tools to disadvantaged students, or similar community-minded, literacy-based activities.

Adult Award - (an individual over 18 years of age)
An individual whose actions demonstrate leadership and a passion for literacy in our community. Examples include instructing new readers, working with struggling students, working to provide books, computers or other education tools to disadvantaged individuals, providing free financial, computer or health literacy, writing new books or similar community-minded, literacy-based activities.

Educator - (an individual who works in the education profession with students from birth through the 12th grade
An individual whose actions demonstrate a passion for literacy in education. Examples include innovative ways to engage new readers, working with struggling students, working to provide books, computers or other education tools to disadvantaged students and their families, working with new literacies (financial, computer, family-based or health literacy) and similar community-minded, literacy-based activities.

Higher Education - (an individual who works, or teaches formal, post-high school instruction)
An individual whose actions demonstrate a passion for literacy in post-high school education or training. Examples include innovative ways to engage struggling readers, working to provide books, computers or other education tools to disadvantaged students, working with new literacies (financial, computer, family-based or health literacy), providing economic-based literacy services (job searches, resume writing) and similar community-minded activities

Organization Award - (profit or non-profit organization)
Presented to a local business or organization in recognition of that company’s efforts to improve the literacy of our community. Examples include support of literacy focused programs or initiatives (reading, computer, financial, health or economic literacies), providing time for employees to engage the community in support of these literacies, or providing financial support for organizations in our community who make literacies more accessible.

Due to the particular impact on the overall well-being of members in our community, each year, the Light of Literacy Awards includes an additional theme-specific award recognition category.

Digital Literacy Award
Presented to an individual or organization whose actions demonstrate dedication to providing and promoting our community with “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” - American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy, Digital Literacy Taskforce, 2011.

Examples include:

• Teaching the variety of skills, technical and cognitive, required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats.
• Assisting community members of all ages to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve information, interpret results and judge the quality of information.
• Creating programs to facilitate the use of skills and technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family and the general public.
• Making digital equipment and/or services available to our community members in order for them to actively participate in civic society.