Three women from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows have been nominated for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.
Visual artist Jag Nagra has been nominated under the arts, culture, and design category; Katerina Anastasiadis, manager of intergovernmental affairs for the City of Maple Ridge, is nominated under the business and the professions category; and under the education, training, and development category is Dr. Awneet Sivia, associate vice-president, teaching and learning with the University of the Fraser Valley.
There are 106 nominees for the 41st annual awards that honour individuals and organizations whose outstanding activities and achievements contribute to the well-being and future of the community.
The awards ceremony and gala is the premier fundraising event for YWCA Metro Vancouver.
The awards were created to advance gender equity, and to celebrate women and gender-diverse people who have used their platforms to make a difference.
RELATED: Women of Distinction Awards nominee from Maple Ridge
There are 12 categories for the awards: arts, culture, and design; business and the professions; community champion; education, training, and development; entrepreneurship and innovation; environmental sustainability; health and wellness; non-profit; reconciliation in action; research, the sciences, and technology; young woman of distinction; and outstanding workplace.
Since 1984, YWCA Metro Vancouver has paid tribute to more than 355 award recipients and 2,188 nominees.
READ ALSO: Maple Ridge woman takes home hardware at Women Influencers Awards
Award recipients will be announced at the Women of Distinction Awards Gala at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver on Monday, May 13. Tickets are on sale at ywcavan.org/wod.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is a registered charity, gender equity advocate, and community service provider, with a mission of creating a just and equitable world for women, families and allies.
The organization offers affordable housing, early learning and child care, training and employment services, and a range of holistic programs that help support individual, collective, and economic well-being.