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This award recognises someone who actively champions women's progression in local government, using their influence, voice or position to challenge barriers, create opportunities and build a more inclusive culture.

Where the Mentor award celebrates women developing other women, this award recognises those, often though not only men, who use their platform to open doors. It is open to people of any gender.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Clear and consistent allyship in support of women's progression.
• Action taken to challenge bias, remove barriers or create opportunity. 
• Mentorship, sponsorship, advocacy or practical support for women. 
• The impact of their allyship on individuals, teams, services or culture. 
• Recognition from colleagues, peers or those who have benefited. 
• Sustained commitment, not one-off activity.

This award recognises a council with an outstanding record of supporting women's progression, representation and inclusion. The winner will show that this work is embedded in its leadership, culture, policies and workforce strategy, not a standalone initiative.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• A clear strategy or set of actions to support women's progression. 
• Visible commitment from senior officers and elected members.
• Progress in recruitment, retention, promotion, flexible working, leadership development, pay equity, mentoring or networks. 
• Meaningful data, feedback or case studies showing impact. 
• How the council has tackled barriers women face at different career stages. 
• Evidence the work is sustainable and offers learning for the wider sector.

This award recognises an exceptional woman at the very beginning of her local government career who is already making a meaningful contribution and showing outstanding potential.

Open to current apprentices, graduates, trainees, participants in the National Graduate Development Programme or another structured entry-level development programme. The winner will demonstrate enthusiasm, initiative and a strong commitment to building her career in local government.

How this differs from Rising Star: Future Talent is specifically for women currently following an apprenticeship, graduate, trainee or comparable structured entry route. It rewards promise and early impact at the point of entry, rather than an established professional track record or readiness for broader leadership.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Her route into local government and what attracted her to the sector or profession.
• Achievements and impact during her apprenticeship, graduate scheme, traineeship, National Graduate Development Programme placement or other entry-level programme. 
• Enthusiasm, initiative, resilience, curiosity or problem-solving beyond what would normally be expected at this stage. 
• Commitment to learning, professional development and building a long-term career in local government. 
• Contribution to her team, service, residents, communities or workplace culture.
• Progress in developing her skills, confidence, professional knowledge and responsibilities. 
• Strong testimonials from managers, colleagues, mentors, partners or service users.
• What makes her a role model for other women considering a first career step in local government.

This award recognises a team that has built an inclusive, supportive and high-performing culture. The winning team will show that inclusion is embedded in how it works, makes decisions, supports people and delivers results.

Entries may come from frontline, corporate, policy, operational, democratic, partnership or leadership teams.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• The team's purpose, make-up and role. 
• How it has created a culture where people feel valued and supported. 
• Strong team working, collaboration, communication and shared accountability. 
• The impact of its inclusive approach on performance, services, residents or colleagues. 
• How the team has overcome challenges or supported people through change. 
• Learning other teams could take from its approach.

This award recognises a woman who has brought new thinking or new ways of working to local government, whether through digital, data and technology, service redesign, community engagement, policy, workforce change, partnership working or operational improvement.

This includes the women leading change through reorganisation: building new unitary services, merging systems and teams, using data and technology to transform how councils work, and holding services together for residents while everything changes around them.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• The innovation and the challenge or opportunity it was designed to address. 
• What makes the approach new, bold or different. 
• Impact on residents, staff, communities, partners or the organisation. 
• How she engaged others in developing or delivering the change.
• Challenges faced and how they were overcome. 
• Learning that could be shared across local government.

This award recognises an outstanding woman leading a service or function in local government, from children's services, adult social care and housing to finance, HR, legal and beyond.

Open to heads of service and service leaders below executive level, in any discipline. These are the leaders who run local government day to day, and the tier from which the sector's next executives will come. The winner will combine professional excellence with the leadership that brings people with her.

Judges will be looking for evidence of: 

• Her leadership of her service, team or function and the context she operates in. 
• Evidence of impact on outcomes, performance, residents or service users. 
• Leadership through challenge, change or financial pressure. 
• How she develops her people and builds a strong, inclusive team. 
• Collaboration with members, partners and other services. 
• What makes her a role model for women aspiring to lead in local government.

This award recognises a woman making an outstanding contribution in the place-based and technical services that shape communities and where women can remain less visible or under-represented.

The category covers transport and highways; environment and waste; engineering and infrastructure; planning and regeneration; and growth, property and assets. The winner may be a technical specialist, operational professional, project leader or service leader whose expertise and influence have delivered meaningful results for residents, places or the organisation.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Her role, professional expertise and contribution within a place-based or technical service. 
• Impact on residents, communities, infrastructure, the environment, economic growth or the quality of place. 
• Professional excellence, innovation or problem-solving in a complex technical or operational setting. 
• How she has influenced projects, services, policy, investment or delivery across organisational boundaries. 
• Leadership through challenge, including financial pressure, workforce shortages, regulation, public scrutiny or major change. 
• How she has supported colleagues, developed talent or helped make traditionally male-dominated professions more inclusive. 
• Strong testimonials from colleagues, residents, elected members, partners, clients or professional peers. 
• What makes her an inspiring role model for women considering or progressing in place and technical services.

This award recognises a woman excelling in the services that provide the strategic direction, governance and organisational framework councils need to succeed: strategy, policy, performance, corporate planning, democratic services, governance, scrutiny, communications and related corporate functions.

These professionals often lead through influence and expertise rather than public visibility. The winner will show how her insight, judgement and collaboration have strengthened decision-making, enabled other services and delivered meaningful results for the organisation and its communities.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Her role and contribution within strategy, policy, performance, governance, democratic or related corporate services. 
• Impact on council priorities, decision-making, accountability, organisational performance or community outcomes. 
• Influence achieved through insight, collaboration, persuasion and professional credibility.
• How her work has strengthened governance, supported elected members or enabled other services and partners to succeed. 
• Leadership in navigating complexity, competing priorities, political sensitivity, scrutiny or significant change. 
• How she has improved transparency, participation, evidence-led decision-making or organisational effectiveness. 
• Strong testimonials from colleagues, elected members, partners or communities. 
• What makes her an inspiring role model in these essential but often less visible professions.

This award recognises a woman who has made an outstanding contribution to supporting, encouraging and developing other women in local government, whether through formal mentoring, informal support, coaching, sponsorship or advocacy.

The winner will be someone who lifts others as she progresses, sharing her experience so that more women come through behind her.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Her approach to mentoring, coaching or supporting other women. 
• Specific people or groups who have benefited from her support. 
• Impact such as career progression, confidence, skills or greater visibility for women. 
• Generosity with time, experience and networks alongside her own role.
• Feedback or testimonials from mentees, colleagues or peers.
• Lessons other councils could learn from her approach.

The headline award of the evening. It recognises a woman whose contribution to local government stands out as truly exceptional, whether over a defining period or across a career. The winner will be an outstanding role model with a proven record of impact, influence and service to the sector, and a clear commitment to bringing others through behind her. This category is decided by the judging panel and does not require a standard entry, though nominations are welcome.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Outstanding achievement and sustained impact in local government.
• Leadership, influence, judgement and professional excellence. 
• Overcoming challenges, breaking barriers or driving significant change. 
• Demonstrable impact on services, communities, colleagues or the wider sector. 
• Commitment to supporting and inspiring other women. 
• Why she stands out as an inspirational figure in local government.

This award recognises a company or organisation working with local government, such as a recruiter, contractor, consultancy, technology, legal or engineering firm, that has taken meaningful action to support women's progression, both in its own business and across the sector.

This is the only category open to commercial partners. It is judged on evidence of impact, and entry is entirely independent of sponsorship of these awards.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• A clear, sustained commitment to women's progression within the organisation itself. 
• Programmes with results: mentoring, returnships, apprenticeships, leadership development, flexible working or support for women's networks.
• Action taken alongside council clients and partners that supports women in local government. 
• Measurable outcomes, such as recruitment, retention, promotion or pay equity data. 
• Testimonials from council partners or from women who have benefited. 
• Evidence this is embedded practice, not a marketing exercise.

This award recognises a woman who has shown outstanding leadership in shaping or delivering local government reorganisation, devolution, the creation of a new authority or strategic authority, or a major transfer and integration of powers, services, teams or systems.

The winner will have brought clarity, collaboration and momentum to complex change while protecting services, supporting people and keeping residents and places at the centre of decisions.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Her role and leadership responsibilities within the reorganisation, devolution or structural change programme. 
• The scale, complexity and strategic importance of the change she has helped shape or deliver. 
• Clear impact on governance, services, organisational readiness, communities, partners or the future place agenda. 
• How she has built trust and alignment across councils, political leadership, employees, partners and communities. 
• Leadership through uncertainty, competing priorities, financial pressure or political complexity. 
• How she has supported staff, retained talent and maintained service continuity during change. 
• Innovation, judgement and problem-solving in designing new structures, systems, services or ways of working. 
• Learning from her approach that could support other areas undergoing reorganisation or devolution.

This award recognises a woman who has successfully returned to work after a career break, caring responsibility, maternity leave, illness, personal challenge or change of direction. The winner will have shown resilience, determination and impact since returning, and will be an inspiration to others navigating a similar journey.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• The return journey and the challenges overcome. 
• The impact made since returning to work. 
• Confidence, resilience, leadership or renewed ambition. 
• Contribution to her team, council, community or service area. 
• How she has supported or inspired others returning after a break. 
• Strong testimonials from colleagues, managers, members or peers.

This award recognises an exceptional woman in the earlier stages of her local government career who is already making a real difference as an officer. The winner will have shown outstanding promise, delivered meaningful impact and demonstrated the potential to become one of the sector's future leaders.

Open to women in officer roles below senior corporate leadership level.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Achievements and impact in her current or recent role. 
• Initiative, innovation, resilience or problem-solving.
• Influence on colleagues, services, residents or communities. 
• Commitment to learning, development and future leadership.
• Strong testimonials from managers, colleagues, partners or service users. 
• What makes her a role model for other women starting out in local government.

This award celebrates a woman whose work makes a real and lasting difference to her council, colleagues, residents or communities, whether or not her role puts her in the spotlight.

Nominations are especially welcome for women in frontline, customer-facing, support and behind-the-scenes roles, including social workers, housing officers, customer services, libraries, leisure, refuse and street services, care staff, community teams, personal assistants and executive assistants. What matters is the quality of her contribution, the community impact she has created and how far she goes above and beyond for the people she serves.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Her role and the difference she makes to her council, residents, service users or community. 
• Clear evidence of positive community impact, including improved experiences, outcomes, access, wellbeing or trust. 
• Dedication, reliability, compassion, professionalism or resilience, especially in demanding frontline or support roles. 
• How her work has supported colleagues, enabled senior leaders, strengthened services or kept essential activity running. 
• Why her contribution may otherwise go unseen and deserves wider recognition. 
• Feedback from colleagues, managers, residents, service users, elected members or partners.
• Stand-out achievements or moments that demonstrate her value and impact.

This award recognises a women's network that has made a meaningful contribution to supporting women and driving positive change in local government. The network may be council-wide, cross-council, regional, professional or sector-wide.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• The network's purpose, membership, structure and objectives. 
• How it supports women's progression, visibility, confidence or wellbeing. 
• Activities such as campaigns, events, mentoring, advocacy or policy influence. 
• Measurable impact: engagement, feedback, growth, leadership support or organisational change. 
• How it works with senior leaders, allies, HR, elected members or partners. 
• What makes it effective, sustainable and valuable to the sector.