Nomination Guidelines

Nominations close Tuesday, April 15.

Please closely review the guidelines below before submitting a nomination.

Click here to download a nomination checklist. Click here to view the scoring criteria.

To be eligible for a Leadership Award, a nominated state or local government defined contribution or deferred compensation program, project, or initiative must meet the following criteria:

• The plan must be an active NAGDCA member.
• The program, project, campaign, or activity must have been implemented between January 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
• It must go beyond federally mandated changes.
• Governmental staff must have been involved in its development and/or implementation.

Nominations should include the following:

• A completed online nomination form (below).
• One PDF document, no more than five pages, containing:
  • A one-page summary containing:
    1. Plan profile – type(s) of plans offered, asset size, number of participants, industry partner(s), etc.
    2. Background information – details about the need/problem that the project was designed to meet/solve for
    3. Goals – brief overview of the intended outcomes
    4. Commentary – brief quote (one to two sentences) from plan sponsor(s) or other staff explaining the significance of the effort
  • A written justification containing:
    1. Detailed description of the project – timeline, significance of the improvement to the operation of the plan, examples (e.g., images, screenshots, etc.)
    2. Results – key outcomes and measurable benefits (i.e., KPIs)
    3. Feasibility of use by other governments of a similar size