SWAG Alliance Foundation Opens Nominations for 7th Annual SWAG Awards

PITTSBURGH, PA, September 14, 2026 (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — The SWAG Alliance Foundation has officially opened nominations for the 7th Annual Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness (SWAG) Awards, an annual celebration recognizing the extraordinary contributions of social workers, organizations, and supporters throughout Western Pennsylvania.

 

Nominations are open from September 8 through October 20, 2026, with the 7th Annual SWAG Awards ceremony scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2027.

 

Created in 2020 by Sharise Nance and William “Bil” Nance, the SWAG Awards began with a simple belief: the people who spend their careers supporting others deserve to be supported and celebrated, too. Sharise, a licensed clinical social worker, author, and speaker, envisioned an awards platform that would bring greater recognition to the social work profession, while Bil coined the name SWAG—Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness—and helped bring that vision to life.

 

Since its inception, the SWAG Awards have recognized nearly 100 social workers and community partners for their leadership, service, innovation, advocacy, and commitment to the profession. What began as an annual recognition event has since grown into the SWAG Alliance Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing year-round initiatives designed to strengthen and sustain the social work workforce.

 

“Some of the most meaningful work happening in our communities is also some of the least visible,” said Sharise Nance, Founder and CEO of the SWAG Alliance Foundation. “Social workers are showing up every day in hospitals, schools, community organizations, behavioral health settings, child welfare, private practice, and countless other spaces. The SWAG Awards give us an opportunity to stop, tell those stories, and make sure the people doing this heart work know that their impact is seen.”

 

The 7th Annual SWAG Awards will bring together social workers, community leaders, organizations, and supporters for an evening centered on recognition, storytelling, connection, and celebration.

 

 

Heart Work Award — Honoring social workers who demonstrate exceptional compassion, commitment, and impact through their work.

 

Social Work Entrepreneur of the Year — Recognizing a social worker whose entrepreneurial leadership, innovation, and vision are expanding access, creating opportunities, or strengthening communities.

 

Lifetime Achievement Award — Celebrating a social worker with 20 or more years of service whose career reflects sustained leadership, commitment, and meaningful contributions to the profession.

 

Kim Thornton Hemby End-of-Life Care Award — Honoring a social worker whose work demonstrates extraordinary compassion, dignity, and support for individuals and families navigating end-of-life experiences.

 

Organization of the Year — Recognizing an organization demonstrating exceptional commitment to social workers, the profession, and the communities they serve.

 

The André B. Hemby “There for Me” Social Worker Supporter Award — Honoring an individual whose encouragement, advocacy, mentorship, or support has helped a social worker continue doing the work they were called to do. The award was created in memory of co-founder Sharise Nance’s late father, André B. Hemby.

 

Community members, colleagues, supervisors, organizations, clients, and others who have witnessed the impact of an exceptional social worker, organization, or supporter are encouraged to submit a nomination.

 

Nominations are open from September 8 through October 20, 2026.

Nominations may be submitted at www.swagfoundation.org/nominate.

 

Businesses, foundations, organizations, and community partners are invited to support the 7th Annual SWAG Awards and the SWAG Alliance Foundation’s broader mission to strengthen, sustain, and celebrate the social work workforce.

 

Sponsorship helps support the annual celebration as well as year-round initiatives focused on professional development, licensure support, clinical supervision, workforce wellness, and other efforts designed to strengthen the profession.

 

For sponsorship information or additional questions, contact info@theswagawards.com.

 

The SWAG Alliance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening, sustaining, and celebrating the social work workforce. Through recognition, professional development, licensure support, clinical supervision, workforce wellness initiatives, and financial assistance, the Foundation works to ensure that the people who spend their careers supporting others have access to support of their own.

 

The Foundation grew from the Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness (SWAG) Awards, created in 2020 by Sharise Nance and William “Bil” Nance. Sharise serves as Founder and CEO, and Bil serves as Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer. What began as an annual celebration of social workers has evolved into a year-round organization focused on supporting the sustainability and advancement of the profession.

 

For more information, visit www.swagfoundation.org.