2020 .ORG Impact Awards Finalists Named

RESTON, Va., Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Interest Registry (PIR), the People behind .ORG, today named the finalists for the 2^nd annual .ORG Impact Awards, which honor the remarkable organizations and individuals making the world a better place.

Today's announcement includes the top five entries across 9 award categories.  Winners in these categories and the .ORG of the Year will be announced as part of "The Ten Days of .ORG," an online experience beginning on November 30 that celebrates the range of achievements that have healed, inspired, transformed and connected communities over the past year.

Each day of the celebration will place a spotlight on an award-winning organization and individuals making an impact in areas such as combatting the coronavirus, battling poverty and hunger, championing equality, and advancing environmental sustainability.

"In this year marked by so much challenge and change, mission-driven .ORGs are making even more of an impact on the communities and causes they serve and support," said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of the Public Interest Registry.  "We celebrate their contributions and recognize that .ORGs are making their communities a better place. This year, we saw an extremely impressive group of submissions showcasing the diverse and inspiring work taking place in the .ORG community around the world, and we want to thank everyone who participated in the .ORG Impact Awards. After a thorough review by our 2020 judges, the top 5 entries across 9 categories have been identified and named finalists, each representing the best of what .ORGs have to offer in making a meaningful difference in their communities and the world. We are awed and inspired by their achievements and look forward to announcing the winning .ORGs later this fall."

More than 500 organizations and individuals submitted entries this year. Submissions were reviewed and scored by a panel of judges who are leaders in the Internet, non-profit, health, education and marketing sectors. All nominations must be tied to an active website with a .ORG domain. 

Award winners will receive a donation amounts of up to $30,000 USD to an eligible charitable entity of their choice.  Please visit www.orgimpactawards.org for complete rules and information.

2020 .ORG Impact Award Finalists

Combatting Coronavirus

Carolina for Kibera 
A locally informed response to COVID-19 in Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya

Days for Girls International 
Masks for Millions & Periods Don't Pause for Pandemics

Heart to Heart International
Improving health access, providing humanitarian development
and administering crisis relief worldwide

The Molecular Sciences Software Institute 
COVID-19 molecular structure and therapeutics hub

The Salvation Army California South Division 
COVID-19 relief in Southern California

Fighting Hunger and Poverty

Center For Food Action 
Emergency services to northern New Jersey's poorest and most vulnerable residents

Code for America 
Delivering GetCalFresh.org for Californians seeking food assistance

Food For Free 
Improving access to healthy food within the greater Boston area

Hole Food Rescue 
Reducing food waste and cultivating food security

Mandela Partners 
Improving health, creating wealth, and building assets through local food enterprises in low-income communities

Championing Equality, Equity, Inclusion

Carolina for Kibera 
Empowering girls & young women in Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya

Change Labs 
Fostering Native American entrepreneurship for the Navajo and Hopi Nations

Kiva 
Promoting global financial inclusion

Josette Hutton Evans, CEO and Founder of Metamorphasis Powerhouse Company, Inc. 
Turning everyday places into public learning classrooms

SEED SPOT 
Advancing equitable recovery through entrepreneurship for all

Promoting Education

Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) 
Inspiring and preparing students from underrepresented communities to succeed in law school and beyond

Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center 
Providing speech-language pathology and audiology services to individuals of all ages

SchoolHouse Connection 
Overcoming homelessness through education

SMASH 
Building a strong, diverse, and socially conscious tech workforce

Yayasan Tunas Aksara 
Providing all Indonesian children the opportunity to learn to read and to love reading

Advancing Environmental Sustainability

Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef
Driving real change for the future of the Great Barrier Reef

Mangrove Action Project 
Protecting the world's mangrove forests

Plastic Pollution Coalition 
Growing global alliance working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact

Rainforest Alliance 
Building strong forests and healthy communities

Saahas 
Practical solutions for waste management to make waste resourceful

Promoting A Safer Internet

APWG 
International coalition unifying the global response to cybercrime

Center for Cyber Safety and Education 
Making the cyber world a safer place for everyone

Child Rescue Coalition 
Protecting innocence through technology

Cyber Threat Alliance 
Working together for a more secure internet

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 
Empowering children to practice safer behaviors on- and off-line

Innovation Award

Bibliothèques Sans Frontières 
Ideas cube and the internet offline

Crisis Tracker 
Mapping violence in Central Africa

Aarti Sahgal, CEO and Founder of Synergies Work 
Inspiring people with disabilities to discover their talents and turn ideas into businesses

Truth Initiative 
Innovating to tackle the teen e-cigarette epidemic

WaterScope 
An inexpensive, rapid water testing microscope capable of identifying bacterial presence in water in less than six hours

Outstanding Volunteer

Christopher Esther, Creative Director and Creator of Type 1 Diabetes Explained 
Making a healthy and happy life with Type 1 diabetes easy and accessible for all

Kayla Abramowitz, Chief Kid Officer of Kayla Cares 4 Kids 
Collecting and donating items for kids in hospitals

Paul Foti, Co-founder of Type One, Inc. 
Dedicated to making the world free of Type 1 diabetes

Sherrie Winstanley, Executive Director at S.H.A.D.E. 
Providing second stage housing for immigrant and refugee women and their children who have been impacted by domestic abuse/family violence

William Schenold, Volunteer at Metamorphasis Powerhouse Company, Inc. 
Making a lasting impact by closing the intergenerational divide between adults and youth

.ORG Newcomer of The Year

ANGELAID Cares 
Caring for caregivers, primarily mothers

Arwa Damon, President & Co-founder of INARA 
Life-altering medical care for children from conflict areas who have catastrophic injuries or illnesses

Fleece and Thank You 
Providing children facing hospital treatments with a colorful fleece blanket and a video message of support from its maker

Sustainable Health Empowerment 
Fostering equitable healthcare in underserved communities

Tzedek DC 
Legal help for people in debt

.ORG of The Year

The 2020 .ORG Impact Award, .ORG of the Year, recognizes a not-for-profit or nongovernmental organization nominated in one of the other nine categories using the .ORG domain, and honors outstanding achievement as evidenced by results and/or contributions to its sector, constituents, community or society at large.  The .ORG of the Year will be named on the final day of the Ten Days of .ORG, on December 11, 2020.

About .ORG 
.ORG is the original purpose-driven "generic" top-level domain (gTLD) with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. .ORG is open to everyone, providing a global platform for organizations, associations, clubs, businesses and individuals to bring their ideas to life. For more than 30 years, .ORG has built an enduring legacy of trust, preserving an open and secure Internet where diverse communities can establish a trusted online identity and freely share ideas. .ORG is powered by the non-profit Public Interest Registry (PIR). PIR has been a champion for a free and open Internet for more than 15 years with a clear mission to be an exemplary domain name registry, provide a trusted digital identity and help educate those who dedicate themselves to improving our world. PIR was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA. Visit www.TheNew.org for more information.

Media contact: Scott Gerber, [email protected], 408-202-4255

SOURCE Public Interest Registry