2026 Data Insights and Innovations Award Nomination

DISCLAIMER

This nomination information will be shared with other states on the Workforce Innovation Awards Nominations website. This public website contains Innovation Award nominations from previous years and indexes them by topic as a shared resource for all states.

Description

The Data Insights and Innovations Award honors a state workforce agency, or partnership involving a state workforce agency, for achievements related to workforce and labor market information.

Criteria (choose one as primary focus)

Capacity Building: demonstrates a record of building and supporting the capacity of its workforce and labor market information functions, using innovative staffing, resourcing, or other approaches, with a goal of deriving and applying insights from data to a broader range of operational and programmatic issues.
High Impact Products and Services: demonstrates the development of WLMI products and services of high impact for a range of internal and external customers in the state or region.
National Impact: demonstrates a commitment to sharing the insights of its staff and other resources, including exhibiting best practices that can be replicated, with impacts on other states and national policymakers or stakeholders.

Eligible Nominees

The State Agency or a partnership or initiative involving the State Agency must be named as the nominee of the award. The award may recognize specific individuals or agencies within the nomination, such as, but not limited to: the governor, elected official(s), state administrator, labor market information director, state staff member(s), workforce partner, or advocacy group.

Nomination Requirements

Must be submitted by 5:00 pm ET, December 12, 2025
Submit a completed award nomination;
Contain answers to the questions listed on the nomination form within the prescribed word limit;
Include a statement of approval from the agency administrator; and,
Be the single nomination for that state in this category.

Selection Process

The NASWA Workforce & Labor Market Information Awards Subcommittee will review all nominations and recommend the recipient to the Chair of the Committee who will approve the selection.