"I really think it's about uplifting women. It's about having an opportunity to really come together, to grow together and to do something that elevates women in the most positive way possible." 

That was the message from PRISM Nomination Chair and Business Women of Moose Jaw (BWMJ) President, Sharleen Froats as she took to the podium Friday night at the Temple Gardens Hotel And Spa.

The occasion served as a platform to highlight all 21 contenders within the seven categories; Perseverance, Role Model, Influential, Successful and Mentor (PRISM). The remaining two awards are Youth and Lifetime Achievement.

2019 marks the 6th annual PRISM Awards Gala and the 2nd unveiling celebration. Over the years, the event, which acknowledges local women for their accomplishments and contributions to the community, has raised over $80,000 for the local Transition House. 

Sharleen Froats, BWMJ President, and PRISM Nomination Chair.

The Business Women of Moose Jaw hosted a gathering with the goal of showcasing all women in the running for an award. Providing an opportunity to shine the spotlight on each and every nominee, not just those seven fortunate females who take home hardware in the spring.

The selection process is multi-layered as Froats explained, "That really is the hard part. There are just so many women deserving of recognition. We actually have a really interesting adjudication process. We have a full criteria and a rubric that we work through for quality and robustness of the nomination."

Froats continued, "Our adjudicators are completely unbiased, they don't even live in the city, they don't know our nominees. Its a completely blind assessment and just purely on the merits of the nomination. It can still come down really close, and sometimes we've had to do tiebreakers but its a very unbiased and thorough process that we're (BWMJ) very proud of." 

In place of a traditional plaque or trophy, the award itself is a piece of exclusively designed jewelry from 5th Avenue Collections. The unveiling of the newly crafted neckwear was the grand finale to this special event.

"That's really one of the things we enjoy most about this (unveiling) event and why it's so unique." Froats praised.

"I'm sure we've all received trophy's of some kind or medals or plaques and quite often those go onto a shelf, and maybe someone who comes to visit gets to observe that. So it becomes an opportunity to be able to showcase this, the accomplishments throughout the year, and just a beautiful reminder to look good, to feel good and just represent yourself in such a positive light, wherever you go."

The PRISM Gala event doubles as a fundraiser for the local Transition House and will be held at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Moose Jaw Campus, on March 2nd.

A complete list of nominees can be found HERE.

Specially designed neckwear from 5th Ave Collections to be won at the Gala event in March.