Metro Weekly will be accepting nominations for its third annual Next Generation Awards, which recognize the accomplishments of LGBT activists, artists and leaders under the age of 30, beginning Friday, Feb. 25.
A panel of LGBT community members representing a broad cross section of area residents will choose four people whose efforts have advanced the LGBT movement. Those winners will be announced in the May 12 issue of Metro Weekly and honored during a reception scheduled for the same date.
Sean Bugg, co-publisher of Metro Weekly, says past recipients of the award will help select 2011’s nominees.
”[They’re] going to be working really hard to make sure that we get a lot of different nominations that reflect the diversity of the young LGBT community – and diversity in all sorts of ways,” he says.
”From how people identify to their ethnic backgrounds, to the fields they work in, whether it be activism or business or the arts or political advocacy. The goal here is to find a lot of different nominees from a lot of different places so we can represent what I know is the breadth and depth of the community.”
Bugg adds that it’s important to emphasize that the winners are not selected by the publication, but by the community.
”This is about the LGBT community in D.C. nominating people who they think are making important contributions,” he says.
”I want to make sure that we get as many nominations as we can because even if people don’t win the award, I think it’s important for us all to go through the process of thinking about the people in our lives and in our community who are making a difference.”
To nominate a candidate for the third annual Next Generation Awards, please click here.