It's time to celebrate women who contribute to the Cold Lake community in positive and inspiring ways.
Nominations for this year's Women of Influence (WOI) awards are open until Jan. 18.
The ceremony will take place March 8 at the Cold Lake Energy Centre. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Kayla Vick, committee administrator for WOI, described it as a fun way to celebrate ladies in the area during International Women's Day.
"We live in a geographic area where local work environments are typically male-dominated fields... It's nice to have a space where women from all walks of life can be recognized for they work they do," Vick explained.
As the event has grown, so have the options to put someone's name forward.
"We've added some categories (over the) years just to take into account the feedback we've received, with respect to other categories and areas we thought it would be appropriate to recognize women," explained WOI committee member Stephanie Oleksyn.
Categories include arts and culture, business and professional, community and volunteer, health and wellness, younger women, older women, and science and technology.
During the nomination process, Vick encouraged everyone submitting a deserving woman to use the application as a platform.
"Use those 500 words (on the website) as much as you can, because you're really the advocate to share who that person is. If you just say 'they're awesome,' I'm sure they are, but if you add some more details, that's what really signals to our committee members that they might be worthy of being selected as the award recipient," she emphasized.
For Oleksyn, the event puts women and the work they do for their community in the spotlight.
"I think it's generally important to recognize women all over the place, but particularly in the Lakeland, because prior to the (WOI) there wasn't an event that looked at the contributions of women... I think it's really important that we look at and see other things that are at play in Cold Lake," she explained.
The awards also serve as a networking opportunity, allowing attendees to draw inspiration from local role models, which Vick believes has become a staple in the community.
Oleksyn added, "It's to give awards and recognize women, but it's also a networking event to see other women in the community and to serve as a source of inspiration. That, in our view, is really important component to the night."
While nominations are strictly for women who have made an impact on Cold Lake, Vick said the celebration is a "space open for all genders to come and celebrate."
Anyone interested in nominating someone can visit WOI on their website at womenofinluencecoldlake.org.
