Change Agent Abie Award

Nominations are open.

NOMINATE NOW

*This award is open to international women (non-U.S. residents) regardless of age or education level.

Representation of women in technology is a global issue. The Change Agent Abie Award honors an outstanding international woman (non-U.S. resident with an emphasis on developing countries) who created or expanded opportunities for girls and women in technology.

Nominations are encouraged for professional women regardless of their age or education level.

Award Prizes

• Recipients are honored by the technical women’s community at Grace Hopper Celebration and invited to give a presentation on the main stage at GHC.
• The award winner will also have multiple speaking opportunities throughout GHC on their work and accomplishments.
• All-expense paid trip to GHC.
• Cash prize.

Past winners of this award include:

• Marie Claire Murekatete, Software Development Division Manager at Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) and founder of Refugee Girls Need You. The major focus of this organization is teaching information and computer technologies to teenage refugees in Rwanda, and includes at least 400 girls annually.
• Amanda Gicharu, Co-founder of Tech Republic Africa, a startup that creates technology education experiences for African youth ages 7–19, 45% of whom are girls.

Meet our 2018 winner: Mariana Costa Checa

Timeline

• July 29, 2019: Nominations open
• January 8, 2020: Nominations close at 5 p.m. PT

Selection Criteria

Potential nominees:

• Demonstrate leadership within their communities
• Expand opportunities for and influence the careers of girls and women in technology
• Demonstrate social, cultural, and behavioral impact on advancing women’s participation in technology
• Recognized locally and are able to make gender and technology a regional/national issue

Supporting Documents

You will need to submit:

• Two letters of reference from professional contacts of the nominee
  • Endorsers should be chosen to represent a range of perspectives and institutions and provide additional insights or evidence of the candidate’s impact. Each letter should focus on the accomplishments which that endorser can attest to and place in context.
• The nominee’s biography (maximum of 500 words)
• A two to three page statement of merit from the nominator
  • Nominators are preferably recognized members of the community who are not from the same organization as the candidate and who can address the candidate’s contributions outside their organization.
• The nominee’s CV or resume
• Landscape orientation high resolution photograph of the nominee (minimum of 5MB JPG)