Do you know a volunteer that made your community a better place to live? Do you know a nonprofit that worked with volunteers to make a big impact? Do you know a business that promoted volunteerism?
...then nominate today!
Important Information
Nominations Open: Monday, June 29
Nominations Due: 12:00pm on Monday, August 10 (must be submitted by then to be considered for an Outstanding Award)
***PLEASE NOTE: We may close nominations early if the number of nominations exceeds the number of people that can be recognized at the Spirit event***
Spirit of NH Awards Date: Monday, October 26
Venue: Capitol Center for the Arts
Questions? Contact Jamie Browder, Special Program Assistant; Jamie@volunteernh.org; 603-271-7206
Reference Documents
Step-By-Step Guide on Using the Volunteer NH Online Application System: here
Spirit FAQs: here
Spirit Nomination Questions (by Category): here
View Past Spirit Awards: here
Overview
The Spirit of NH Awards is an annual volunteer recognition ceremony designed to honor those that served NH communities.
There are two types of Spirit of NH Awards, outlined below. Your category choice will indicate which type of award your eligible nominee will receive.
Volunteer Service awards recognize individual volunteers and groups of volunteers who provide volunteer services that strengthen communities and improve the lives of New Hampshire residents.
This category includes:
*Youth/Young Adult (Age 22 and younger)
*Adult (age 23-64)
*Senior (age 65+)
*AmeriCorps (any individual from a national service program, including AmeriCorps State/National, VISTA, NCCC, and/or AmeriCorps Seniors programs)
*Group (2-10 of the same individuals that volunteer together regularly - you must be able to provide the names of all group members to nominate under this category)
Volunteer Champion awards recognize outstanding nonprofit/public service organizations and businesses with volunteer programs that provide the infrastructure for volunteers to be successful in their service. Awards in the Volunteer Champion category recognize things such as excellent program management, fund development efforts that sustain volunteer programs, and commitment of time/resources to engage employees in community volunteer roles.
This category includes:
*Nonprofit/Volunteer Program (any nonprofit, public agency, or volunteer program within a nonprofit; e.g. "The Volunteers of Community Nonprofit" or "The Concord Food Pantry")
*Business (any business that promoted volunteerism for its employees and/or the community)
One individual or group within the Volunteer Service category will be selected for the overall Spirit of NH Award, which is the highest award presented. The award is not announced until the ceremony.
Eligibility:
Anyone who meets the following criteria is eligible to be nominated:
- Nominee must have volunteered within the last year and a half
- The nominee's volunteerism must have been done in NH or with an organization that serves NH communities
- Nominee cannot have received compensation for service (EXCEPT those in AmeriCorps service, workplace volunteer programs, unpaid internships, and/or service completed for course credit.)
Nomination Limit: There is no official limit to the number of nominations an individual can submit. However, because we wish to recognize a rich variety of awardees from different and varied organizations, we generally will accept only a maximum of three nominations (individual, group, and/or volunteer program) from the same organization. Volunteer NH reserves the right to limit the number of awardees affiliated with any one organization.
Nominee Photo Upload(s)
You will be asked to submit a photo of your nominee at the end of the nomination form (preferably a photo of the nominee engaged in volunteerism).
If you do not have a photo ready (or need permission to provide it) you have two other ways to share a photo:
- You may email one to Jamie@VolunteerNH.org; or
- Drag and drop (with the file name matching the name of the nominee) to this folder: Spirit Nominee Photos.
Please save the file as "Last Name_First Name_Category" if an individual nominee (e.g. "Smith_John_Adult") or "Organization/Group Name_ Category" if group or volunteer champion (e.g. "The Food Pantry Volunteers_Volunteer Champion".
If there are no photos of the nominee, please upload an image of the applicable organization's logo.
Please note that by providing Volunteer NH photos, you certify that you have permission to provide them and that we have permission to use them for the event, any event-related promotional materials, as well as to use them in future VNH publications.
Spirit of NH Awards 2026
Do you know a volunteer that made your community a better place to live? Do you know a nonprofit that worked with volunteers to make a big impact? Do you know a business that promoted volunteerism?
...then nominate today!
Important Information
Nominations Open: Monday, June 29
Nominations Due: 12:00pm on Monday, August 10 (must be submitted by then to be considered for an Outstanding Award)
***PLEASE NOTE: We may close nominations early if the number of nominations exceeds the number of people that can be recognized at the Spirit event***
Spirit of NH Awards Date: Monday, October 26
Venue: Capitol Center for the Arts
Questions? Contact Jamie Browder, Special Program Assistant; Jamie@volunteernh.org; 603-271-7206
Reference Documents
Step-By-Step Guide on Using the Volunteer NH Online Application System: here
Spirit FAQs: here
Spirit Nomination Questions (by Category): here
View Past Spirit Awards: here
Overview
The Spirit of NH Awards is an annual volunteer recognition ceremony designed to honor those that served NH communities.
There are two types of Spirit of NH Awards, outlined below. Your category choice will indicate which type of award your eligible nominee will receive.
Volunteer Service awards recognize individual volunteers and groups of volunteers who provide volunteer services that strengthen communities and improve the lives of New Hampshire residents.
This category includes:
*Youth/Young Adult (Age 22 and younger)
*Adult (age 23-64)
*Senior (age 65+)
*AmeriCorps (any individual from a national service program, including AmeriCorps State/National, VISTA, NCCC, and/or AmeriCorps Seniors programs)
*Group (2-10 of the same individuals that volunteer together regularly - you must be able to provide the names of all group members to nominate under this category)
Volunteer Champion awards recognize outstanding nonprofit/public service organizations and businesses with volunteer programs that provide the infrastructure for volunteers to be successful in their service. Awards in the Volunteer Champion category recognize things such as excellent program management, fund development efforts that sustain volunteer programs, and commitment of time/resources to engage employees in community volunteer roles.
This category includes:
*Nonprofit/Volunteer Program (any nonprofit, public agency, or volunteer program within a nonprofit; e.g. "The Volunteers of Community Nonprofit" or "The Concord Food Pantry")
*Business (any business that promoted volunteerism for its employees and/or the community)
One individual or group within the Volunteer Service category will be selected for the overall Spirit of NH Award, which is the highest award presented. The award is not announced until the ceremony.
Eligibility:
Anyone who meets the following criteria is eligible to be nominated:
- Nominee must have volunteered within the last year and a half
- The nominee's volunteerism must have been done in NH or with an organization that serves NH communities
- Nominee cannot have received compensation for service (EXCEPT those in AmeriCorps service, workplace volunteer programs, unpaid internships, and/or service completed for course credit.)
Nomination Limit: There is no official limit to the number of nominations an individual can submit. However, because we wish to recognize a rich variety of awardees from different and varied organizations, we generally will accept only a maximum of three nominations (individual, group, and/or volunteer program) from the same organization. Volunteer NH reserves the right to limit the number of awardees affiliated with any one organization.
Nominee Photo Upload(s)
You will be asked to submit a photo of your nominee at the end of the nomination form (preferably a photo of the nominee engaged in volunteerism).
If you do not have a photo ready (or need permission to provide it) you have two other ways to share a photo:
- You may email one to Jamie@VolunteerNH.org; or
- Drag and drop (with the file name matching the name of the nominee) to this folder: Spirit Nominee Photos.
Please save the file as "Last Name_First Name_Category" if an individual nominee (e.g. "Smith_John_Adult") or "Organization/Group Name_ Category" if group or volunteer champion (e.g. "The Food Pantry Volunteers_Volunteer Champion".
If there are no photos of the nominee, please upload an image of the applicable organization's logo.
Please note that by providing Volunteer NH photos, you certify that you have permission to provide them and that we have permission to use them for the event, any event-related promotional materials, as well as to use them in future VNH publications.