The 2026 Mayoral Service Recognition Program: Impact Awards

Mayoral Service Recognition Impact Awards

The Mayoral Service Recognition Impact Awards celebrate outstanding volunteer initiatives across New York City. These awards recognize organizations, businesses, and residents whose service strengthens communities through the power of collective action.

Nominations for the Impact Awards are now closed.

Spirit of the City Award: Recognizes an individual (21 or older) whose exceptional service has made a meaningful impact on their community and inspired others to take action.
AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award: Honors an AmeriCorps alum who continues to embody the spirit of “Getting Things Done” through community service beyond their term of service.
Community Impact Award: Celebrates an organization that strategically addresses city or community needs through innovative volunteer engagement.
Partnership Impact Award: Recognizes a collaborative effort between an organization and a business that came together in service to a community.
Youth Impact Award: Honors an individual or group of young people whose service has produced a tangible community impact.

Nominations will close in February 2026.

Review and Selection Process

All eligible applications are reviewed by an internal NYC Service committee. The highest-scoring applications in each category advance as finalists.

Finalists are then presented for a public vote, allowing New Yorkers across all five boroughs to show support for their preferred nominees. Public voting results are incorporated into a final review conducted by the internal committee.

The top-scoring finalist in each category is selected as the award recipient. Please note: all awardees are subject to final vetting prior to award distribution.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for any Impact Award, nominees must:

Have completed a volunteer project within New York City during calendar year 2025
- The majority of the project activities must have occurred in 2025.
Address a defined community need or city priority

Additional criteria for specific awards:

AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award

Completion of an AmeriCorps service term prior to the volunteer project
Project must be unaffiliated with the nominee’s AmeriCorps service

Spirit of the City Award

Nominee must be 21 years of age or older at project completion

Youth Impact Award

Nominee must be under 21 years of age at project completion

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a nominee be submitted for more than one award?

A: Yes. Individuals or groups may be nominated for multiple awards for which they are eligible; however, a nominee may only receive one award.

Q: Can multiple people nominate the same individual or group?

A: Yes. Multiple nominations for the same nominee are permitted and will be reviewed through the standard selection process.

Q: Who may submit a nomination?

A: Any individual with an established relationship to the nominee may submit a nomination, including peers, mentors, supervisors, educators, family members, or the nominee themselves.

Important Notice

All nominations must be submitted through the official online form available on this page. Submissions sent through other formats will not be accepted.

For preparation purposes, a downloadable Word version of each nomination form is available below. These documents may be used to draft responses prior to final online submission.

Complete the Impact Awards Nomination Form

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Your Information

First Name

Last Name

Phone

Awards Nomination

Award you are nominating for

Type of nomination

Business Information

Business Name

EIN

This is the 9-digit number that identifies the business for tax purposes.

Primary Contact First Name

Primary Contact Last Name

Primary Contact Title

Primary Contact Email

Primary Contact Phone

Organization Information

Organization Name

EIN

This is the 9-digit number that identifies the organization for tax purposes. For help finding the number, use www.guidestar.org/search

Primary Contact First Name

Primary Contact Last Name

Primary Contact Title

Primary Contact Email

Primary Contact Phone

Nominee Information

First Name

Last Name

Phone

Relationship to You

Other

Type of organization

Other:

Successfully completed their AmeriCorps service term

AmeriCorps program name

Volunteer Project Information

Project Name

Start Date

Start date can be before 2023, e.g., project start date: Sept. 2022.

End Date

End date can be after 2023, e.g. project end date: March 2024.

Status

Only select “ongoing” if you are still actively volunteering with the project.

Majority of the volunteer project took place in calendar year 2025

Briefly explain how the project's impact in 2025 was significant enough to qualify for this award (100 words)

Location

Include borough and neighborhood.

Number of participating volunteers

Number of NYC residents impacted by volunteer project

Identify the community need or City priority addressed through the project.

Describe the volunteer project that was created, developed, completed, or expanded that addressed a community need and created community change. (250 words max)

Describe the community impact made because of this project (250 words max).

Explain how the business and organization partnership developed, and detail which strategies and resources the business and organization used to enable the partnership’s impact. (400 words max)

Describe how the contributions of each partner (i.e. business and community-based organization) create impact that neither could achieve alone. (400 words max)

Explain how the organization's broader mission is connected to its volunteer project. Describe the strategies and resources that the organization used to enable its impact. (400 words max).

How has your organization leveraged the power of volunteers in innovative and resourceful ways? (400 words max)

Describe how the nominee went "above and beyond" their call to service. (400 words max).

How has the nominee’s service work inspired those around them to make a positive impact on their communities? (400 words max).

Describe the skills or training learned during the nominee’s AmeriCorps service term that they leveraged for this project. Explain how the nominee used those skills or training to help address a community need or City priority following the end of their service term. (400 words max)

The AmeriCorps 'Getting Things Done' pathway emphasizes members' capacity to take initiative, exceed expectations, and remain resilient when facing challenges. Explain how the nominee embodied the spirit of “Getting Things Done” through their project. (400 words max).

Explain how the youth(s) took lead in coordinating and running this volunteer project. (400 words max)

Explain the value of the knowledge and experiences the youth(s) gained from this project, and why it was important for young people to be involved with this project. (400 words max)

Please certify the following before submitting your application

I confirm this project occurred within New York City and during calendar year 2025.

This field is required

I have reviewed and certified the information in this application is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

This field is required

I confirm this project was youth led (21 or under).

This field is required

If nominating an individual young person, I confirm the individual was the sole organizer of the project

This field is required

I confirm I completed my AmeriCorps service term prior to the start date of this volunteer project.

This field is required

I confirm this volunteer project is unaffiliated with my AmeriCorps service term.

This field is required

I confirm this project was led by an individual 21 or over.

This field is required

Submit

The 2026 Mayoral Service Recognition Program: Impact Awards

Review and Selection Process

Eligibility Criteria

Frequently Asked Questions

Complete the Impact Awards Nomination Form

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Common Messages

The 2026 Mayoral Service Recognition Program: Impact Awards

Review and Selection Process

Eligibility Criteria

Frequently Asked Questions

Complete the Impact Awards Nomination Form

About Us

Serve

For Businesses

For Organizations

Connect

Organization Newsletter

Volunteer Newsletter

Common Messages