ANNETTE RAINWATER GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER OF THE YEAR:

A black community leader who is deeply connected to the grassroots and uses his or her ties to build support for social and political agendas that benefit the black community

POLITICAL PIONEER:

A black leader who broke barriers and opened doors for African Americans in Michigan. The recipient of this award must be retired. Posthumous entries accepted.

BOB MILLENDER POLITICAL STRATEGIST OF THE YEAR:

A black leader who has used his or her influence and talent to groom and support candidates or champion political agendas that have benefited the black community

EMERGING BLACK LEADER AWARD:

A black leader under the age of 35 who has shown great promise as a political leader or organizer

JOHN CONYERS JR. LEADERSHIP AND LEGACY AWARD:

A black leader who has written and/or championed legislation that has benefited the black community in a meaningful way

LABOR LEADER OF THE YEAR:

This award is leader for a black leader who has leveraged his or her ties to organized labor to increase the quality of life of African Americans in Michigan

BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR:

A black business leader who has and will continue to brake barriers and opened doors for African Americans in Michigan business and politics. The recipients of this award must be retired. Posthumous entries will be accepted. 

BRUCE FEASTER STAFFER OF THE YEAR:

Recognizes a person going beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of constituents within the Government Office in which he or she serves. He or she is strong "behind the scenes" leader, who does the heavy lifting on the day-to-day operations of an Elected Officials team. Furthermore, this individual works diligently to ensure that policy goals are met and that the Elected Official is always prepared an equipped to succeed at the mission of improving the quality of life of those that they were elected to serve.