Nominations are now open in the categories below from Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara Counties.

Anyone can submit a nomination including those for your own organization or for yourself.

Winners will be chosen by a panel made up of representatives of the ASI Board of Directors and other community leaders.

Nominations are due Thursday, March 1 by 12pm.

**We encourage you to contact ASI at 716.362.8389 x512 if you have questions about a particular nomination category or nominee.**
2018 Awards Categories:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: This award honors an organization, individual at an organization, or individual artist for their career-long body of work, especially on the occasion of a new phase of that work such as retirement, job switch, etc.

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR: This award honors a not-for-profit or for-profit cultural/creative/arts organization for its achievements in 2017.

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR: This award honors an individual artist in any discipline for their achievements in 2017.

RISING STAR: This award honors a relatively new organization, someone new in their position or organization, or a group or artist entering the next phase in their development.

SUPPORTER OF THE CULTURAL SECTOR: This award honors an individual or an organization outside the cultural/creative/arts sector for their work in directly aiding the cultural sector.

**NEW CATEGORY** TRAILBLAZER OF THE ARTS: This award honors an individual for their efforts to call attention to the importance of the arts through their work in advocacy, arts administration, curating, and/or promotion. This individual can be at any level in their career or involvement in the arts and uses "boots on the ground" methods to bring the arts to the public and WNY communities. 

UNSUNG HERO: This award honors an unpaid individual or group that has made a major impact on a cultural/creative/arts organization or the sector through their volunteer service.

ARTS INTEGRATION: This award honors a non-arts project, program, or initiative that has used arts and culture to significantly enhance its work.

We will also present the DEC Program of the Year and Cultural Ambassador Awards at the event, which are chosen by a panel made up of ASI Board Members and other community leaders.

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* 1. Nominee Information (who are you recognizing for an award):

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* 2. Select a nomination category: (If you wish to nominate an individual or organization for more than one category you must submit an additional form)

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* 3. Reason for Nomination - Tell us why this organization, individual, or project deserves an award. Examples should include notable accomplishments, length of time organization has been in existence or individual has been at organization, unique attributes of person or organization. NOTE: Please be as detailed as possible. Do not assume the nomination committee is familiar with the organization, individual, or project you are nominating:

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* 4. For Organization of the Year and Individual Artist of the Year - List notable accomplishments of the organization or individual specifically in 2017.  If you are not nominating for these categories enter N/A below.

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* 5. Links to Supporting Materials (website, YouTube clips, press):

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* 6. Your contact information (In case we have questions about your nomination):

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* 7. Do we have permission to add your email address to our e-newsletter?

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* 8. Your relationship to the nominee:

Thank you for submitting a nomination form for the 2018 Spark Awards.

The awards will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at Hotel Henry at the Richardson Olmsted Complex.  Please visit Arts Services Initiative at www.asiwny.org for more information about the awards and to purchase your tickets.

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