(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who know someone who lives by the six pillars of character are invited to nominate someone, a business or organization for this year’s Iowa Character Awards. Those pillars are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

Cheri McDaniel, spokeswoman for the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University in Des Moines, says they’re looking for Iowans who go above and beyond. “We collect nominations from across the state,” McDaniel says, “and we just want to recognize Iowans that are doing wonderful things.” There have been more than 200 Iowa Character awards presented since 2005. There are multiple categories for the awards, including for sports teams and student organizations.

“Annually, we give out awards to the Citizen of Character, both at the youth level and at the adult level,” McDaniel says. “We have the Educator of Character Award, which can be given out to teachers, administration, anyone working within the schools. There’s the Business of Character, which is any business organization.”

Character Pillars (Robert D. and Billie Ray Center image)

The nomination deadline is May 1st and she says it’s easy to submit a name. “You can go to Iowa Character Awards and there is going to be a red box on the page that just says 2024 Nomination Form,” she says. “You click that and it’ll take you to a page and you can add all the information and upload whatever supporting documentation you might have.”

The winners will be announced in June and will be recognized this summer with a date to be announced.