Recognizing exceptional human resource professionals

Employees are the most important asset of any organization and are a main driver of organizational reputation and bottom-line success. Human Resource executives understand this and are on the front lines every day ensuring that quality, productivity and morale are at its highest.

As with most careers, though, women in HR strive for recognition within their organization. They both champion pay equity and seek it for themselves, and they aspire to leadership roles and career advancement. That’s why Ragan is recognizing the Top Women in HR to shine a spotlight on the outstanding contributions by female HR professionals at all stages of their career.

Ragan’s Top Women in HR will be those who are leading the charge when it comes to performance management, diversity & inclusion, organizational development, talent recruitment and retention, compensation and benefits, human resources information systems, training and development, coaching and corporate leadership.

A Top Woman in HR inspires those around her—she is fearless and an indefatigable contributor. You likely work with her. It might even be you.

As the leading information resource for internal communicators, Ragan has been chronicling for more than 50 years the challenges and opportunities for those communicating with employees across the organization. These awards are a recognition of the blurring lines between Internal Communications and Human Resources and the role that both play in organizational growth.

Tell us about your Top Women in HR so we can showcase the best of the best. To enter this awards program, we are leaving it up to you to use the 500 words wisely in the entry form to highlight each Top Woman in HR. Judges will select multiple winners for each category, creating the industry’s premier go-to list of leaders.

Ragan will honor the first class of the Top Women in HR lat an awards gala, with special editorial coverage on Ragan.com, PR Daily and beyond. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the date and location are TBD.

Help us highlight the accomplishments of your peers and shine a spotlight on organizations that support female advancement and leadership. Entry deadline is June 3.

HOW TO ENTER

Tell us in 500 words about your nominee’s accomplishments in the previous 12 months. The winning list of Top Women will be those who have distinguished themselves among their peers with meaningful achievements. Choose a category that best describes the nominee and submit your short essay along with any supporting materials you feel will be helpful to the judges. Ragan’s panel of judges will select multiple winners from each category and reserves the right to place your nominee in the category that best fits her accomplishments.

We will recognize women who are champions of the employee, who build bridges between internal departments and stakeholders; HR professionals whose passion contributes to a great workplace; who roll up their sleeves and get more done than imaginable; women who lead with purpose; women who have developed better mouse traps; women who lead great teams.

Supporting documents that can’t be uploaded to the system should be mailed to: 

Brendan Gannon
Ragan Communications 
10 S. LaSalle St., Suite 310
Chicago, IL 60603

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should you apply?

It is increasingly important to recognize the important role of HR within an organization. This awards program allows you to prove your value. A Top Women in HR reflects on the entire organization.  As a winner, you’ll earn publicity for your brand across our websites and social media audiences, a custom write-up about your campaign and a trophy.

Who can enter?

Entries may be submitted by organizations worldwide. The only requirement is that entries be submitted in English. This awards program is open to corporations, agencies, nonprofits, associations and government organizations.  

What does it take to be a winner?

We look for clearly articulated submissions that showcase why the nominee is deserving of this honor. Supporting materials, such as testimonials, examples of the nominees’ work are helpful. Please look at our past award winners to see what gets recognized and rewarded. We encourage you to submit the nominees to multiple categories, if you feel they are relevant. Doing so increases your chances of winning.

What are the entry requirements?

The entry form requires that you submit a synopsis of the honoree, including her current role, achievements in the past 12 months, and justification for why she should receive an award from us. 

Why are some deadlines extended?

We extend deadlines based on applicant needs and upcoming promotional opportunities.

When will I find out results?

We try to announce a list of finalists six to eight weeks after the close of the program. The announcement of the winners comes about three to four weeks after the announcement of the finalists. Each announcement will be made with a headline on our website, in our daily email newsletter and on our social media platforms. Emails notify entrants in advance of these announcements. As deadlines are extended, so are expected announcement dates. 

Additional Questions

If you have any questions about the program or problems submitting your entry, please call Brendan Gannon at 312-960-4407 or email him at brendang@ragan.com.