Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, in her capacity as Secretary of State, is pleased to announce that the nomination process for the annual National Association of Secretaries of State John Lewis Youth Leadership Award for New Jersey residents is now open. We invite you to nominate a worthy candidate.

The John Lewis Youth Leadership Award, established in 2021 by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), aims to honor the extraordinary accomplishments of Congressman John Lewis.

The Award recognizes a gifted, civic-minded young person in their state each year. The recipient should demonstrate leadership abilities, have a passion for social justice, and be motivated to improve the quality of life in their community.

Eligibility:

• The recipient must be 25 years or younger at the time of the award presentation.
• The recipient is recognized in their community for being civic-minded and improving the quality of life in their community. The community must be in the awarding NASS Member’s state/territory.
• The recipient has shown a meaningful commitment to address civil rights issues, including but not limited to voting rights, and to authentically bring about positive change in his or her community.
• Examples could include youth leadership in a specific project or program, advocacy, or even literature as the Congressman also won a National Book Award for young people’s literature.

Supporting Materials:

Support documentation should include a summary of the nominee’s work related to the Award. It may also include a resume, news releases, news articles, or related social media posts as long as they are digitized (no hard copies). The submission should not exceed 10 pages.

How to Apply:

1. Each nominee must be nominated by the person most familiar with their work
2. That person should then fill out the Nomination Form below and then…
3. Email supporting documentation to NJDOS@sos.nj.gov. To ensure that the materials are received the subject line of the email must contain the words ‘John Lewis Award Nomination’

The Deadline for Nominations is 11:59 PM, Monday December 2, 2024.

John Lewis famously said, “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part…” In other words – Democracy in this country is not about what we have. It is what we do! And like John Lewis, we believe it is particularly in young people that we see our greatest hope. Indeed, it always has been that way and never more than today.

Thank you for taking the time to further that cause.