In 2018, ICMA will launch a new category in its annual Local Government Excellence Awards with the Community Diversity and Inclusion Award. This is one of several initiatives taken in response to the recommendations of the ICMA Task Force on Inclusiveness in the Profession.

With this new addition, the five award categories are:

• Community Health and Safety
• Community Partnership
• Community Sustainability
• Strategic Leadership and Governance
• Community Diversity and Inclusion.

About the New Award Category

The award will highlight and recognize organizations and communities for their efforts to promote diversity and inclusiveness. For this new category, a program may be nominated for work done within a local government organization or in a community at-large.

Within a local government organization, the program should:

• Cultivate a flexible, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that leverages diversity and empowers all contributors.
• Move beyond the normal scope of duties, seeking out values and tapping differing knowledge, experiences, and talents of the diverse community/population served by an organization.
• Build a diverse, high-performing workforce that reflects all segments of society.
• Include more than one program that demonstrates commitment to a diverse workforce.

Within a community, the program should:

• Facilitate outstanding, culturally competent public service, and stakeholder relations through effective leadership and accountability.
• Demonstrate the enhancement of community quality of life by offering equal opportunity and providing greater access to government and government services for multiracial, multicultural, and historically under-engaged populations.
• Provide opportunities and programs to increase diversity and inclusion within a community.
• Be replicable by other communities.
• Encompass more than a single event.

As with all ICMA program excellence awards, honors will be presented to local governments in each of three population ranges: less than 10,000, 10,000 to 49,999, and 50,000 and greater.

Nominations for all Local Government Excellence awards will be accepted from January 2 through March 2, 2018. 

Full information on the Community Diversity and Inclusion Award, as well as all local government excellence program and professional awards, can be found on the awards page of ICMA's website. Award recipients will be honored during ICMA’s 104th Annual Conference,  September 23-26, 2018, in Baltimore, Maryland.