Put Her Forward

Why we need to nominate more women, share the work, and open more doors.

For the latest Women in Cloud EmpowerHER Awards, I nominated six women. Four became finalists. Two went on to win.

Six nominations. Four finalists. Two winners.

I knew their work deserved consideration. Putting their names forward meant taking the time to explain what they had accomplished and why it mattered.

It made me wonder how much extraordinary work goes unrecognized because nobody completes the nomination. How often do we tell a woman she is brilliant, share her post, or say someone should recognize her, then leave the next step to someone else?

I want more of us to become that someone.

That is the invitation behind Put Her Forward: ask her, find an opportunity that fits, and help make the submission happen.

Subscribe to Hedda’s Mix Tape for more conversations about culture, community, and women claiming credit for their work.

Everyone deserves recognition for their achievements. This piece centers women, including trans women, and nonbinary people. I use she/her and they/them pronouns throughout, respecting each person’s identity and the language they use for themselves.

What a nomination can make possible

When you nominate someone, you become part of her story and part of her hype crew. You have written down what she does, why it matters, and why other people should pay attention. If she becomes a finalist or wins, you have another chance to share that work.

An announcement can carry her name, her contribution, the company she founded, or the organization she works for. She can share it. The awards organization can share it. Her nominator, colleagues, customers, friends, and professional communities can pick it up. Sometimes she acknowledges her nominator, connecting those communities in another direction.

 

Women in Cloud describes its global network as 150,000 people. I have about 20,000 followers on LinkedIn and 2,800 on Instagram. Each woman I nominated has her own relationships and communities. Her company may also have channels through which to celebrate her.

Those three audience counts add up to 172,800, but that is not a count of people who saw an announcement. Audiences overlap. Membership and following do not guarantee exposure. I cannot tell you the actual reach of these stories.

What I can describe is the opportunity: one nomination can give several communities a reason to talk about someone’s work.

A finalist announcement. A winner announcement. A profile. A colleague’s congratulations. An introduction that would not otherwise have happened.

Someone encountering that story might think: that passion I have is worth pursuing. There may be a place for me here, too.

Give credit with care

The question of recognition also came up for me while following The Cornell Daily Sun’s reporting and its “Cornell Won’t, We Will” editorial. The coverage concerns a former student, identified publicly as Jane Doe, whose lawsuit alleges that she was drugged and gang raped at a fraternity house in October 2024.

Her pursuit of accountability and her right to privacy deserve care. She should not have to surrender her identity for her allegations to be thoroughly investigated.

I also respect the work of Cereese Qusba, who reported on the lawsuit, and Sophia Dasser, Sophia Romanov Imber, Zara Cheek, and Rayen Zhou, the editorial board behind “Cornell Won’t, We Will.” Seeing readers ask whether their journalism could be submitted for a Pulitzer prompted me to learn how that process works.

I also recognize that published journalism serves a different purpose than supporting a survivor. An award cannot deliver justice or undo harm. We can credit the journalists’ work while respecting Jane Doe’s anonymity and continuing to demand accountability.

That distinction belongs in everything I mean by Put Her Forward.

Ask what she or they want. Name their contribution with their permission. Use the name, pronouns, and information she authorizes. Give her room to decline.

Giving women credit also means respecting their authority over their own stories.

The gaps we are trying to change

Three numbers give this conversation urgency:

• Venture capital: Companies with all-female founding teams received 1.1% of U.S. VC deal value in 2025, according to the Q4 2025 PitchBook–NVCA Venture Monitor. That figure describes all-female founding teams.

• Corporate boards: Women held 34.4% of S&P 500 directorships in the 2026 Spencer Stuart Board Index.

• Congress: Women held 152 of 535 voting seats, or 28.4%, in the Center for American Women and Politics’ count, checked September 30, 2026.

I could keep going. Funding. Leadership. Ownership. Decision-making. We need to move toward parity, equality, and equity in how we distribute money, power, and opportunity.

Women have already named their accomplishments and asked for opportunities. Many still encounter people and institutions unwilling to recognize them. Encouraging someone to submit an application is one part of our responsibility. Backing her expertise, making introductions, and questioning exclusionary decisions matter, too.

Awards alone cannot repair those systems. Judging panels and nomination processes can reproduce the same barriers we are trying to change. But we can examine the opportunities available, decide which are worth pursuing, and help women’s work receive serious consideration.

Why recognition matters

A credible prize can give people a reason to pay attention. It can strengthen the case for a grant, a book contract, a speaking invitation, or a meeting with an angel investor or venture capital firm.

That is a possibility, not a promise. Recognition does not guarantee funding, and a woman’s work has value before a committee approves it.

Sometimes the connection to resources is direct. The Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards provide two $25,000 awards to help writers finish important nonfiction books. The Cartier Women’s Initiative pairs substantial business grants with training, mentoring, visibility, and a community of peers and supporters.

Before paying an entry fee, ask what the opportunity offers. Who judges it? What does recognition provide? Does it fit her goals? Are there free awards or fellowships worth considering?

If a worthwhile entry costs $75, we can figure out how to share it.

Three people contributing $25. Five people contributing $15. An employer sponsoring an entry. Someone covering the fee while someone else writes.

I know $75 is real money. So is the time needed to assemble an application. Support can mean researching deadlines, gathering work samples, writing a letter, or helping someone finish.

The history we should stop repeating

I am tired of learning about a brilliant woman decades after she could have used the recognition. Tired of discovering that her contribution was treated as background to a man’s achievement. Tired of the wife, assistant, or collaborator appearing in the footnotes when we should have been asking what she actually did.

Alice Ball developed a treatment method for leprosy that Arthur Dean continued and published without crediting her key research. Colette’s first Claudine novel appeared under her husband’s name. Denise Scott Brown was excluded from the 1991 Pritzker awarded to her husband, even as the announcement acknowledged decades of her collaboration.

Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson deserve to be understood through their actual mathematical, leadership, and engineering contributions at NASA. Rosalind Franklin’s research into DNA’s structure deserves accurate attribution. Ada Lovelace’s computing work deserves careful attention.

And accurate credit matters now. Tarana Burke founded the Me Too movement in 2006. When we reference that movement, we should name the Black woman whose organizing helped establish it.

These histories are different. Some involve false attribution. Some involve prize exclusion or discrimination. We honor the women involved by describing their contributions accurately and crediting their collaborators.

Recognition should happen while people can use it. Write her name down now. Describe what she did. Help her pursue the resources and opportunities that allow her to continue.

Make this part of how we gather

I want us to talk about recognition wherever we gather. In our friend groups. In our neighborhoods. At the dinner table, the book club, the community meeting.

Who is doing remarkable work? Who deserves a fellowship? Who is ready for a leadership role? Who are we going to nominate this year?

Even the word gossip holds a history of connection. It comes from the Old English godsibb, meaning a godparent, and later described a close friend or neighbor, including women friends gathered around a woman during childbirth. Over time, it came to mean idle chatter and rumor. That history makes me think about how readily women’s conversations can be dismissed.

Our conversations can be where we learn what someone has accomplished, find an opportunity, or offer help. Let’s give those conversations somewhere to go.

Who knows the right award? Who can write the letter? Who can contribute $15? Who will make sure we meet the deadline?

Encouragement counts, too. A thoughtful note, a conversation, or an offer to review an application can help someone keep going.

Your Put Her Forward Scorecard

Make recognition a habit you review alongside your charitable giving at the end of the year.

Where did I put my money? Where did I put my time? Whose work did I help someone else see? Whose expertise did I credit? Who did I thank?

Start with one completed nomination. One woman. One opportunity that fits her work and her goals. If you have the capacity, make ten your stretch goal.

Your scorecard can be simple:

• My annual goal: one nomination to start, or ten as a stretch.

• Her contribution: what she did and why it matters.

• Her preferences: whether she wants to participate and what information she agrees to share.

• The opportunity and deadline: an award, fellowship, or other opening that fits.

• Our next action: gather evidence, write the submission, find a reference, or share the fee.

• What I completed: record the submission and any later result, then celebrate in the way she wants.

At year’s end, count what you completed, not just what won. A judging panel controls the result. We can take responsibility for thoughtful research, accurate credit, useful introductions, and following through.

That includes putting ourselves forward when the rules allow it. Ask someone to help you. Let another woman write the letter, gather your work samples, or remind you to finish the application.

How to submit work for a Pulitzer Prize

For journalism, the currently posted Pulitzer rules allow anyone, including a member of the public, to submit eligible work published by a regularly publishing U.S. news organization.

If you are considering another journalist’s work, start by contacting the journalist or newsroom.

1. Coordinate the entry. Confirm the contributors, gather the materials, and find out whether someone is already preparing a submission.

2. Choose the category and check eligibility. Follow the criteria for the specific prize.

3. Prepare the materials. Journalism entries use article URLs or PDFs, biographies and photos for named journalists, and an online questionnaire explaining the work and its context. Item limits vary by category.

4. Budget $75 per entry. That is the nonrefundable fee under the currently posted journalism rules.

5. Use the official portal. The 2027 journalism competition opens in December 2026. Its new deadline and final rules had not been posted when I checked on September 30.

One distinction matters: submitting work does not make someone an officially recognized “Pulitzer Prize nominee.” Pulitzer reserves that recognition for its announced finalists and winners. We can champion an entry while describing its status accurately.

The Pulitzer also recognizes books, drama, and music. Their schedules and requirements differ, so they are included in the Track Notes below.

Start with one

Get your people together. Around the kitchen table, in the group chat, at the next book club.

Ask whose work deserves recognition. Ask whether she wants your help. Pick the opportunity. Share the fee. Write the nomination.

Then show up when her name is called, and keep showing up when it isn’t.

Put it on the calendar. Give someone the deadline, someone the application, someone the job of gathering the money. We know how to organize. Let’s put that ability behind each other.

This is how we honor the women who came before us and open doors for those coming next. Our time, talent, treasure, and collective effort can put more women in the rooms where recognition, resources, and decisions happen.

Put her forward. Bring your people. Who is the woman you want to put forward, and what can you do this week to help make it happen?

Share the Stories

You deserve to be on the list, too. Your accomplishments deserve accurate credit. You can ask for recognition without apologizing for believing your work merits consideration.

Share the labor. Choose what you can offer. Ask for what you need. Let yourself receive some of the care you give.

And keep this commitment at the center: we can help women receive credit without taking control of their stories.

Protect the queendom.

Press play.

Sample

“We say someone should recognize them. I want more of us to become that someone.”

Heather Cook

Track Notes

Upcoming awards and submission requirements

Checked September 30, 2026. Fees are in U.S. dollars per entry unless stated otherwise. Award years and submission years often differ. Check the linked official rules before paying or submitting.

Pulitzer Prizes in Books, 2027
The deadline is October 15, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, and the entry fee is $75. Anyone may submit, including the author. Eligible books must be first published in the U.S. in 2026 and available as bound books; author citizenship or residency requirements apply. Submit the online form and a book PDF. For late-2026 releases, submit the most complete available version by the deadline.

Webby Awards, 31st annual
The early deadline is October 30, 2026. Early entry rates are $105 for students, $395 for Creator Single entries, and $525 for General Single entries; other categories vary. Creators or authorized representatives with the rights to enter the work may submit. Choose the category and provide accessible digital work, accurate credits, and the required entry information.

Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service, 2027
The early deadline is November 12, 2026, the primary deadline is January 13, 2027, and the final deadline is February 3, 2027. Some categories are free. Early fees for paid categories are $295 for individuals and $520 for organizations or teams. Paid rates rise by $45 after the early deadline, with a $55 late fee after January 13. Any person, group, or organization may submit for themselves or others. Prepare the category-specific achievement narrative and supporting evidence. Nonprofits and government organizations may request fee reductions or waivers.

Peabody Awards, 2026 submissions
Submissions open October 8, 2026, with an early deadline of November 19, a regular deadline of December 8, and an extended deadline of December 15. Radio and podcast fees are $450 early, $550 regular, and $900 extended. News and public-service fees are $600 early, $700 regular, and $1,050 extended. Other categories vary. Producers and organizations should coordinate entries and provide program media, credits, and an entry description. Organizers confirmed that 2025 fee rates carry forward; detailed 2026 rules were scheduled for October 1, so consult the new-cycle rules for eligibility and materials.

J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, 2027
The deadline is December 3, 2026, and the entry fee is $75. Anyone may submit, including the author. The prize recognizes narrative nonfiction on American political or social concerns published in the U.S. in 2026. Submit the online entry and a book PDF.

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards, 2027
The deadline is December 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and submission is free. Anyone may submit, including the author. Eligible projects are significant nonfiction works on American political or social concerns with a U.S. publisher contract. Materials include a proposal, a 12,000–20,000-word sample, contract and advance information, funding details, and an explanation of how the award would help complete the work.

ACM Athena Lecturer Award
The deadline is December 15, 2026, at the end of the day Anywhere on Earth. No entry fee is stated in the published nomination guidance. The award honors outstanding women researchers in computer science. A nominator assembles a 200–500-word statement, a CV, a suggested award citation, and three to five endorsement letters, along with ethics attestations. Confirm any self-nomination plan with ACM.

Pulitzer Prize in Drama, 2027
The deadline is January 5, 2027, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, and the entry fee is $75. Eligible entries are full-length dramas opened in the U.S. in 2026, by December 31; author citizenship or residency requirements apply. Playwrights may enter their own work, or a sponsor may submit with the playwright’s knowledge and consent. Upload a playscript PDF and complete the questionnaire. A production video is strongly encouraged but optional.

Pulitzer Prize in Music, 2027
The portal closes January 5, 2027, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, and the entry fee is $75. The composition’s U.S. premiere must occur by December 31, 2026. Submit audio or video, a score PDF if available, and premiere details. Composer citizenship or residency and current-activity requirements apply. Coordinate with the composer when submitting someone else’s work.

Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, 2027
The competition opens in December 2026; the new deadline had not yet been announced when this list was checked. The currently posted fee is $75, subject to confirmation under the 2027 rules. Public submissions and self-submissions are allowed under the posted rules. Prepare eligible journalism, category-specific work samples, contributor biographies and photos, and the entry questionnaire.

National Inventors Hall of Fame
Nominations are accepted year-round, and the organization is currently considering the Class of 2029. No fee is stated on the public nomination form. Members of the public can nominate another inventor; ask the organizer about self-submission. Required information includes a qualifying U.S. patent, a biography, and an explanation of the invention and its widespread societal or economic impact. Supporting documents may be uploaded.

For Peabody preparation, consult the submission guidelines alongside the new-cycle announcement. For Pulitzer Music’s final portal deadline, see How to Enter.

Also worth planning for: Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The next cycle is scheduled to open May 11, 2027. Its closing dates, fees, and submission requirements had not yet been announced when this list was checked.

Keep looking. There are more doors to open.

Explore Awards List’s directory of business leadership and women’s awards, Poets & Writers’ database of writing contests, grants, and awards, and the Society of Professional Journalists’ awards listings.

Check each organizer’s deadlines, fees, eligibility, and nomination rules. Look for free opportunities as well as paid ones.

And look beyond awards specifically for women. Put women forward for the major prizes in their fields, too.

Find the opportunity that fits her work. Then help her get there.

Liner Notes

To the women I nominated: thank you for sharing work worth celebrating.

To everyone who has put my name forward over the years: I know that took time, care, and a willingness to speak on my behalf. I remember it.

Let’s keep doing that for each other.

Protect your queendom. Press play.

The Next Track

What If We All Voted?

Putting her name forward is one way to act together. Next, I want to explore what happens when we bring that same intention to the ballot box.

Sources and Further Reading

Award rules are linked directly in the Track Notes. These additional sources support the reporting, historical examples, and statistics in the essay.

Cornell reporting

• The Cornell Daily Sun: “Cornell Won’t, We Will”.

• Cereese Qusba’s reporting on Jane Doe’s lawsuit.

• The criminal investigation’s reopening.

• Cornell’s response concerning disciplinary action.

• Attorney General Letitia James’s statement on her office’s appointment as special prosecutor.

Representation and resources

• Women in Cloud.

• Q4 2025 PitchBook–NVCA Venture Monitor.

• 2026 Spencer Stuart Board Index.

• Center for American Women and Politics: Women in Congress.

• Cartier Women’s Initiative: Regional Awards.

Credit, contributions, and connection

• Alice Ball: University of Hawaiʻi.

• Colette: Bibliothèque nationale de France.

• Denise Scott Brown: The 1991 Pritzker announcement.

• Katherine Johnson: NASA.

• Dorothy Vaughan: NASA.

• Mary W. Jackson: NASA.

• Rosalind Franklin: King’s College London.

• Ada Lovelace and women in computing: Science Museum.

• Me Too: History and Inception.

• Online Etymology Dictionary: “Gossip”.

The six nominations, four finalists, and two winners are my personal experience. Follower counts are approximate snapshots, not measurements of actual reach. Recognition can support visibility and access to opportunities; it does not guarantee funding or career advancement.

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