New York, NY - October 4, 2016 - Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) announced today that nominations are now open for the 13th Annual Wonder Women Awards, which honors top female thought leaders, executives, entrepreneurs and other changemakers whose work or product has made a positive impact in toys, licensing and entertainment. Also announced are new nominations guidelines, criteria, voting process, timelines, and elimination of the entry fee to nominate; all designed to enhance the annual Awards program.

The new Gala theme for 2017 will be WIT Changemakers: Playing it Forward, and will honor female executives who are creating positive impact by giving back, passing on the lessons they’ve learned, and paving the way for future leaders. Award winners will be announced and celebrated at the annual Gala on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York, during New York International Toy Fair. Tickets to the 2017 Gala are now available for purchase by clicking here.

New Nomination Categories, Criteria, Voting Process and Timeframe

WIT has reshaped the Wonder Women Awards Program to give it more transparency, including criteria to help distinguish the most deserving candidates, eliminating the entry fee for nominations, and establishing an earlier timeline that allows for finalists to be announced before the Gala. Recognizing the important role its members play, WIT will open voting to all its members, as well as board members, advisory board members and industry influencers. Nominations are now open, and anyone can nominate their candidate for an Award.

“We see these changes as an evolution of the industry and the WIT organization,” said Janice Ross, Wonder Women Awards Co-Chair and Head of Global Licensing at American Greetings Entertainment. “With growth comes change, and we believe these positive changes capture this progression and serve to strengthen the Wonder Women Awards Program and our organization as a whole.”

The 2017 Wonder Women Award Categories include:
Changemakers in Manufacturing
Changemakers in Marketing
Changemakers in Licensing
Changemakers in Entertainment
Changemakers of Tomorrow (Rising Star) (multiple honorees)

To be considered, nominations must include an essay of up to 400 words describing the nominee’s achievements, up to five major accomplishments of the nominee in short bullet-list form, and optional supporting files and/or website link to provide more background. Nomination Finalists will be selected based on the following criteria:

How much of an impact did the nominee’s achievements have on her company, or on how kids play?
Did her achievements contribute to the growth of the toy, licensing or entertainment industry?
Has she garnered a reputation of leadership amongst her industry peers?

The new 2017 Wonder Women Awards nomination process timeline is as follows:
October 3, 2016 – Nominations Open
November 1, 2016 – Nominations Close
November 21, 2016 – Final Nominees Announced; Voting Begins
December 19, 2016 – Voting Closes
February 1, 2017 – Award Finalists Announced

To learn more and nominate a WIT Wonder Woman candidate, please visit www.WomenInToys.com.