Tompkins Connect seeks nominations for 2020 Fab5 Young Professional Awards

ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Connect, a local young-professional organization in Tompkins County, announced it is now accepting nominations for the sixth annual Fab5 Young Professional Awards sponsored by Tompkins Trust Company. 

The Fab5 Awards celebrate the achievement of young professionals ages 21-40 in Tompkins County. This year, the Fab5 Committee says it is seeking young professionals who have been able to “shine and excel despite the unprecedented challenges” the community has faced. 

New to this year’s awards, the committee has added a sixth Essential Worker “Hero” award to recognize a young professional who was considered “essential” by government officials to maintain public health and safety and keep critical-infrastructure operations working when parts of the economy were shut down because of COVID-19. Examples of essential workers may include frontline workers in the health care, food service, education, government, or other service industries.

 The other Fab5 Awards categories are: Entrepreneur of the Year, Not-for-Profit Leader of the Year, Businesses Leader of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Judges will be encouraged to consider individuals in all categories who have been a 2020 superhero by “showing strong leadership, resilience, and creativity” in a way that has benefitted a social-justice cause, helped the community during the pandemic, or has made a positive impact on society this past year.

Those interested in nominating an individual, can visit the Tompkins Chamber’s webpage at www.tompkinschamber.org/fab5awards. Nominations are due by Tuesday, Dec. 15. The winners will be announced in February. 

Under normal circumstances, Tompkins Connect would hold an awards celebration at the Ithaca restaurant, Coltivare. This time around, the organization plans to hold a virtual ceremony.

“In early March, we will be streaming a professional production of the awards ceremony to attendees free of charge,” Katie Shaw, marketing and community relations specialist at Tompkins Trust Company and member of the Fab5 planning committee, said in a statement.

Tompkins Connect is a local young-professional organization, which was formed in 2010 and currently has more than 700 members. Tompkins Connect is housed within two organizations — United Way of Tompkins County and the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. The mission is to connect young professionals and emerging leaders through networking, community building, and volunteerism in Tompkins County.