Do you know a volunteer or volunteer organization that made your community a better place to live?…Then nominate for the 2026 Spirit of NH Awards!
**UPDATED** Nomination Deadline: Friday, August 14
If Volunteer NH receives more nominations than can be recognized adequately during the event, we may close nominations earlier
Overview
Volunteer NH invites you to recognize volunteers and volunteer champions serving New Hampshire communities within the past 18 months by submitting an award nomination (or more than one!) for the 2026 Spirit of NH Awards.
This statewide volunteer recognition ceremony shines a light on the dedicated service of volunteers as well as the critical infrastructure that sets volunteers up to make a positive community impact. Awards are in the following categories:
- Youth/Young Adult (ages 22 and younger)
- Adult (ages 23-64)
- Senior (ages 65 and older)
- AmeriCorps (any individual who served in an AmeriCorps State/National/VISTA/Seniors/NCCC program)
- Group (any group of typically 2-10 individuals that volunteer together – you must be able to provide the names of all group members to nominate under this category)
- Business (any business that has promoted volunteerism for its employees and/or the community)
- Nonprofit/Volunteer Program (any nonprofit, public agency, municipality, or volunteer program within a nonprofit that has used volunteers for impact).
An independent review committee will select:
- One Outstanding Award for each category; and
- The top honor, the Spirit of NH Award, which is kept secret until presented on event night.
As a parallel to these esteemed, committee-selected awards, the general public will vote to decide the People’s Choice Award recipient based on awardee interviews shared in the weeks leading up to the event.
Nomination Information
- Nominations Open: Monday, June 29
- Nominations Close: Monday, August 10 (12pm)
- Link to Nomination Form: Spirit of NH Awards 2026 – Volunteer NH Online Application System
- 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.
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.)
Spirit Nomination Form Info Session and Q&A
Do you have questions about the form? Could you use some tips and tricks on how to write a great nomination? Watch the Spirit Nomination Form Info Session and Q&A! We’ll provide an overview of the form, talk about best practices, and answer questions you may have.
View the Info Session: https://youtu.be/ULBpWL_lBaE
View the Info Session Slides: here
2026 Spirit of NH Award Ceremony Information
All awardees will be recognized at the Spirit of NH Awards ceremony:
- Date: Monday, October 26
- Time: 6:30-8:30pm (tentative)
- Venue: Capitol Center for the Arts (Chubb Theatre) Concord, NH (Tentative)
2026 Spirit of NH Nomination Resources
- 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
- Register for the Spirit Nomination Form Info Session: here
- **NEW** Watch the Spirit of NH Nomination Form Info Session: here
- **NEW** View the Info Session Slides: here
Questions?
Email Jamie Browder at Jamie@VolunteerNH.org.
Nomination Deadline: Friday, August 14
If Volunteer NH receives more nominations than can be recognized adequately during the event, we may close nominations earlier