15TH ANNUAL
LONG ISLAND IMAGINE AWARDS
15TH EVENT DETAILS
Tuesday, May 4, 2027
Crest Hollow Country Club
8325 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury, NY 11797
Cocktail Reception | 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Dinner & Awards | 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Tickets $200 | Nonprofit $125 | Virtual $25
APPLICATIONS FOR 15TH LI IMAGINE AWARDS OPEN:
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)
SEPTEMBER 23, 2026!
Reimagining Impact:
The Issues Shaping the Sector
Join us for a dynamic webinar featuring winners of the Long Island Imagine Awards, as they share firsthand insights into the most pressing issues facing the nonprofit sector today.
Objective: This discussion will be moderated by Ken Cerini, CPA, Managing Partner of Cerini & Associates and Founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards, an event designed to recognize Long Island non-profits for their innovation, impact, and leadership.
The Long Island Imagine Awards was created as a way to showcase the nonprofit sector and all the good work that it does, as well as provide opportunities for deeper collaboration within the sector. The event acts as an opportunity to meet new people, discover new organizations doing business on Long Island, develop new relationships, and learn from the organizations that are being honored.
Long Island based nonprofits will compete against each other in 6 categories – Arts & Culture; Innovation; Leadership Excellence; Rising Star; Social Impact; & Sustainability & Environmental, with the winner in each category winning a $5,000 grant. In addition, the 24 finalists, 4 in each category, each received a professionally produced video, which was showcased the night of the event, and two free tickets to the event.
THANK YOU DIAMOND SPONSOR STERLINGRISK
THANKS TO STERLINGRISK, EACH FINALIST RECEIVED $1,000 THE NIGHT OF THE EVENT!
JENN SEELIG OF NEWS 12 WAS THIS YEAR’S EMCEE!
Anchor
News 12 Long Island
Jenn Seelig is a weekend morning anchor and reporter. She is the reporter for ‘Made on Long Island.’ Jenn was born and raised in Commack and loves to report on stories in her hometown. She began her career in 2018 as a multimedia journalist.
The Imagine Awards is an award program that
was designed for 3 reasons:
1
To shine a spotlight on those nonprofits that are truly unique those with strong leadership, who are innovative in their actions and operations, who are impactful on both a micro and macro perspective, who are significantly advancing programs and the sector on a regular basis, who think out of the box, and who understand the need to effectively collaborate to leverage results.
2
To foster relationships having the ability for nonprofit leadership to come together and communicate, to see what each other are doing, to share ideas, and to find ways to effectively work and collaborate with each other creates a more integrated and stronger sector for all of us.
3
To provide education it’s a little bit of a cliché, but we don’t know what we don’t know. Nonprofit leadership is often focused on the day to day needs of their organization and don’t always have a place to turn or an avenue to bounce questions off of. The Imagine Awards offers this through idea sharing, access to winners (Let’s Imagine Event), and more.
The Imagine Awards not only provides a $5,000 check to the winner in each category, it provides a professionally developed video to each finalist, it provides an avenue to collaborate and explore, it provides exposure and recognition to the finalists and the sector, and it provides a night where the light is shine in on the sector to spotlight all the amazing things that are happening in the nonprofit community. Imagine Awards participants have developed new partnerships and collaborations, have made corporate connections which has resulted in new board members and contributions, have gain strategic insight into what other organizations are doing, and have developed new friendships and relationships that have proven essential in the growth and development of their organizations.
AWARD CATEGORIES
Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award
Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award
Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award
Vanguard Benefits Rising Star Award
This award will recognize a nonprofit generating under $2 million in revenue for its outstanding innovation, impact, and achievements in meeting its mission. The award will be given to an organization who demonstrates an outstanding record of sustained achievement, has successfully demonstrated successful financial performance, and has built a reputation for excellence within the community.
**Sponsorship Available** Innovation Award
This nonprofit has been innovative in adopting new platforms that have led to a significant increase in the organization’s ability to meet its mission. This could include the implementation of technology that enables the organization to achieve cost savings and better communication; a strategic approach to fundraising; a unique and effective public relations campaign; etc.
**Sponsorship Available** Sustainability and Environmental Award
This award honors a Long Island-based 501(c)(3) organization or program committed to environmental sustainability and environmental initiatives within their programs or services. The recipient demonstrates dedication through initiatives that protect local habitats, promote ecological responsibility, and support a greener future. Whether driven by an environmental mission or sustainable practices, this award recognizes those creating lasting impact for a healthier, more resilient Long Island.
ADDITIONAL CATEGORY
