You only have until the end of July to nominate your .ORG, or the .ORG close to your heart for the 2021 .ORG Impact Awards. With prizes up to $45,000 going to amazing causes globally — it’s a great opportunity to celebrate and reward the charitable sector for all the incredible work they do.
There are seven categories with prizes of $10,000 each. One of these will be chosen as the overall winner and become the .ORG of the year. This organization or individual wins an additional $35,000.
What are the .ORG Impact Awards?
The first .ORG Impact Awards took place in 2019, making this quite a young initiative. The goal of the awards is to ‘recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations that have a connection to a registered .ORG domain’. There are seven categories for entry to ensure the award covers the breadth of charitable work available.
When it comes to who can be nominated, the program aims to award based on ‘contributions, achievements, and impact’ that individuals or organizations have made to the communities they are there to support.
How to nominate
Go to the .ORG Impact Awards home page, and click the ‘Nominate’ button. You’ll be required to set up an account, but there are options to speed this up, including using a Facebook login. Once you’re in, you’ll need to click ‘Start my entry.’
First, you’ll need to know what category you’d like to nominate for (see below to decide which is best for you). You will be asked for the basic info about your .ORG, such as the name, website, logo, and individual (if applicable).
Then, there are some qualitative questions about what the organization/individual does, who they aim to help, why you are nominating them, and similar questions — with the option to add supporting evidence. These can be links to pages, videos, or general documents that support your nomination.
It’s a simple, easy process — but do put some thought into your answers as the prize money is considerable. Don’t forget… you must make your nominations before the end of July 2021.
There is no limit to how many nominations one person can submit in each category, but a single organization/individual may only be nominated in one category.
Categories and prizes
Use the table below to read up on each category. These should give you an idea of the kind of organizations/individuals that the .ORG Impact Awards is looking for, as well as show you who won previously.
| Category | Prize | 2020 Winner |
| Health and Healing in a Time of Pandemic | $10,000 | Days for Girls International |
| Fighting Hunger and Poverty | $10,000 | Food for Free |
| Championing Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion | $10,000 | Change Labs |
| Providing Quality Education for All | $10,000 | SMASH |
| Overcoming Climate Change | $10,000 | The Mangrove Action Project |
| Building Better Communities | $10,000 | [New category for 2021] |
| Rising Star | $10,000 | Dollars for Tic Scholars (2019 winner) |
| .ORG of the Year Award | $35,000 | Days for Girls International |
More entry info
As it is the 2021 awards, they are primarily looking for activities that have been carried out between May 1, 2020, and May 1, 2021. Although, if there have been substantial leaps forward in a pre-existing project during this timeframe, you can still put the organization forward for consideration.
Entries are global; however, there are some places where local laws and restrictions may prohibit entry. You can see more in their full list of rules. You can also find out more detailed criteria of how the competition will be judged here, which may help with your application submission.
Judging
After an initial vetting process, all remaining applications will be assessed by a panel of qualified judges. See the full judging criteria in section 7 of the official rules.
Live event — winners announced
Winners and finalists will find out before the live event (before September 2, 2021), but officially, the winners will be announced publicly on Tuesday, November 9, in an online event.
Good luck!
Good luck with your entry from everyone here at Namecheap! Do let us know if one of your organizations makes it as a runner-up or finalist, as we would love to shine a light on you in our Newsletters and via our social media channels.
Nominate your .ORG to win up to $45,000 .