Awards & Recognition

Recognizing community volunteers and leaders in the association community.

Association Latinos Awards Program

Association Latinos is committed to elevating Latino association professionals through its awards program. This program is designed to recognize and celebrate exceptional individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to their respective associations, the broader association profession, and the community.

Review the award eligibility, schedule, nomination process, application process, resources, and FAQs.

View the Sala de Honor of past recipients.

Inspira Award

The Inspira Award provides recognition to an early-career association professional who – in the context of the Association Latinos mission – has demonstrated high potential for continued success thanks to their strong passion for and commitment to their association and the association profession overall.

Estrella Award

The Estrella Award is presented to an association executive that has had a profound impact on the development and progression of their association and the association profession overall, in the context of the Association Latinos mission.

Alianza Award

The Alianza Award is presented to an organization (association, association management company, non-profit, vendor*) that has contributed toward more inclusive Latino leadership, representation, and culture in the workplace, community, and/or organization.

2024 RECIPIENTS

Inspira Award
Aurea Delfin

“Aurea's high energy is contagious, and her enthusiasm is positively infectious. I greatly appreciate her commitment to workplace efficiency and her embrace of change and innovation. I admire her drive to implement positive changes in our internal systems and organizational behavior within the SOA.”

Jose A. Marroquin, MBA, MA

Alianza Award
Raising a Reader Massachusetts

“It is RAR-MA’s family engagement component, in addition to access to resources, that moves the needle on eliminating the literacy opportunity gap for the youngest learners during this critical window in their development. Interrupting the cycle of low literacy improves children's long-term academic, economic, and health outcomes, and makes a significant impact for Latino families like mine.”

Naneshka Lee Hernandez Santos

Estrella Award
Celia Chomón Zamora, Ph.D., CAE

“I’ve never worked with an association professional so willing to take on the level of responsibility in the service of others that Celia has consistently demonstrated. Celia’s mentorship has been transformative for many young Latino professionals. She is known for her consistent and relentless support, always ready with her famous phrases, "tell me where you need me and I'll be there" and "consider it done.””

Howie Berman, MA, CAE

Awards Eligibility

All Awards

Members of the Association Latinos (AL) Board, the AL Awards & Recognition Committee, awards judges, and past recipients of this award are not eligible to be nominated.

Members of the AL Board, the AL Awards & Recognition Committee and awards judges are not eligible to nominate or endorse others.
Self-nominations are accepted for these awards.

Inspira Award

Sustained and continuous positive contributions of 3-5 years.

Experience must be current and within an association, a non-profit organization, or an association management company.
3-5 years of experience need not all be with the same association, non-profit organization, or association management company.

Estrella Award

Sustained and continuous positive leadership of more than 5 years.
Leadership experience must be current and within an association, a non-profit organization, or an association management company.
5 years of leadership experience need not all be with the same association, non-profit organization, or association management company.

Alianza Award

Sustained and continuous impact in the Latino community.

Must be an association, association management company, non-profit or vendor*. *Vendors must work and support associations and non-profits.
Nominees can be in business for any number of years and have any number of employees.
Anyone can be a nominator.
The Executive Director/CEO of the nominee must provide proof of support for the nomination.

Award Schedule

Nomination Period: June 3- June 30*
Application Period: July 1 – July 31*
Review Period: August 1 – August 31
Notification: September
Awards Ceremony: October 30, 2024 (Washington, DC area)
*Late submissions will not be considered.

Nomination Process

Association Latinos accepts peer nominations for three honors, Inspira Award, Estrella Award, and Alianza Award. By nominating a peer (or organization), you recognize that the contributions of this individual (or organization) are advancing the mission of Association Latinos, the association profession and community at large. We encourage association professionals to nominate their outstanding colleagues or organization. Review the requirements above to see if your colleague or organization is deserving of an Association Latinos Award.

The process for nominating a candidate is simple. The nominator will submit a nomination form that includes the nominee’s name, organization, email address, and recommended award. No other information is needed at this stage. The nominee will then be informed of their nomination by Association Latinos and are encouraged to apply for the award for which they were nominated. The nominee must complete an application themselves to be considered for an award.

SUBMIT A NOMINATION

Application Process

Only those who have been identified through the nomination process will advance to the application stage. Nominees will be notified to complete the application for which they were nominated. The application process includes addressing the award criteria, submitting two endorsements and uploading other relevant documents.

For questions about the application or the application process, please contact awards@associationlatinos.org.

Resources

Webinar: Behind the Curtain of Association Latino’s Awards Program | Webinar Recording | Webinar Slides

Awards Program FAQs

Below are the Association Latinos Awards program's most frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions or require further assistance, please contact awards@associationlatinos.org.

Please review the awards eligibility for more details.
The evaluation criteria for each award are included in the award application. A panel of judges will evaluate submissions and each criterion is scored on a five-point scale.
• Review each criterion.
• Provide evidence and examples demonstrating how you have met each of the award criteria.
• Tell a story within the noted word limits.
• Ensure your endorsers can speak to one or more of the criteria for the award. Strong endorsements will address multiple criteria.
The content of your application should be your own original work and accurately represents your experience(s). The use of AI text generators (e.g., ChatGPT) or resources to generate content are prohibited.
Association Latinos notifies all recipients and non-recipients via email following the judging and selection process. Once recipients are notified, they will be announced via a press release in late September. Recipients will be honored at the Association Latinos Awards Ceremony on November 7, 2024.