Deadline for Rising Star nominations extended to July 9

Do you know someone who is a Rising Star in federal IT? If so, be sure to nominate that individual today -- we have extended the deadline for 2015 Rising Star nominations, but only by one week. And when the window for nominations closes at midnight ET on July 9, we want to have the best possible candidates for our judges to consider.

The Rising Star awards spotlight women and men who are having an outsized impact on federal IT and who show clear signs of being leaders in the community in the years to come. Nominees can work in federal agencies, private companies, academia or the nonprofit world. The only restrictions are that they be actively involved in the community and in the first 10 years of their federal IT careers.

What makes for a winner? In many ways, we follow the same criteria we use for the Federal 100 awards. We are seeking people whose leadership, innovation and all-around extra effort are having a powerful and positive impact on federal IT.

Here are some additional guidelines to keep in mind:

• This is an individual award. Teams are important, too, but we’re looking for the women and men who power that collaboration.
• Winners go above and beyond, whatever their level or rank. A fancy job title is not required, and doing one’s job well is not enough.
• Impact matters. The judges need to know not only what a nominee did but also what all that work accomplished.
• The award is for work done in the past year. Future leadership potential is important, too, but one must have had clear accomplishments in the past 12 months.
• You can nominate multiple people, but only if you move fast!

So get those final nominations in by July 9. Go to FCW.com/2015risingstars to learn more, and let us know where to find the leaders of tomorrow — and the rising stars of today.