Power Up 2026 Presents
9 Leadership Power Tool
Champion Awards
A $875 Full Experience to Power Up 2026 in Washington, DC — plus a national stage, a professional amplification package, and a community that will know your name.
For Take The Lead program alumni and prior Power Up Conference attendees, or attended a Power Up Conference after you completed a Take The Lead program. Self-nominations encouraged.
You completed a Take The Lead program, or attended a Power Up Conference after you completed a Take The Lead program. You went back to your life and you kept leading, kept building, kept showing up for the people around you. The 9 Leadership Power Tool Champion Awards exist because that work deserves to be seen.
- Be recognized on a national stage before 1,000+ leaders
- Receive the Full Experience: concert, VIP reception, and conference
- Get featured in a 6-week professional social spotlight series
- Reconnect with the Take The Lead community and fellow honorees
- Tell your story on stage, on video, and across media
- Get free award winning newsletter subscription
Recognition built for
women who leadThe 9 Leadership Power Tool Champion Awards were created to address a real gap: Take The Lead has spent a decade investing in women through its programs, and many alumnae went on to do remarkable work without a sustained structure for recognition or continued engagement with the organization.
These awards are more than a moment on stage. They are a bespoke alumnae recognition and engagement initiative, designed to celebrate your impact, amplify your story, and reconnect you with the community that helped shape your leadership.
Each award corresponds directly to one of Take The Lead's 9 Leadership Power Tools, anchoring your recognition in the framework that has guided thousands of women into positions of influence.
This is one of the most selective honors in women's leadership — nine awards, one per Power Tool, presented annually before 1,000+ leaders on Women's Equality Day in Washington, DC. Being named a Power Tool Champion means your story becomes part of Take The Lead's legacy.
Celebrate Your Achievement
You will be publicly recognized for the work you are doing — not on a local stage, not in a newsletter blurb — on a national stage before 1,000+ leaders at Power Up 2026 on Women's Equality Day. Your name. Your Power Tool. Your story.
Amplify Your Brand
The recognition doesn't end when the applause does. After the conference, Take The Lead publishes a full professional spotlight for you across social platforms and launches a 6-week honoree amplification series — extending your story to the entire Take The Lead community and beyond. You also receive a professional video vignette to use across your own platforms.
Deepen Your Community
Reconnect with the Take The Lead ecosystem and build lasting relationships with fellow honorees, alumni, and 1,000+ conference attendees. You are not just receiving an award — you are being welcomed back into the community that helped shape your leadership, this time as one of its recognized champions.
Years of Take The Lead preparing, inspiring and propeling women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors
of Take The Lead participants extended support to other women
received a raise or promotion within 2 months
Power Tool Champion honorees receive a complimentary Full Experience ticket to Power Up 2026 — valued at $875. This is Take The Lead's most immersive conference experience, spanning two extraordinary days in Washington, DC.
August 25 — The Full Experience:
Femme Art Fair · VIP Reception · Awards Dinner · Opening Concert
August 26 — Women's Equality Day Conference:
Full day with Margaret Atwood and a curated lineup of women's leadership visionaries · Action plans · All-day networking · Meals from breakfast through evening snacks · The SHEposium expo · A closing dance party that sends you home different from how you came.
This is your Power Up 2026 — fully covered.
The Honoree Experience
More than an award.
A full experience.
From the moment you are selected, you become part of a prepared, supported, and celebrated cohort of women leaders. Here is how the journey unfolds.
Apply. Be Considered. Be Chosen.
Applications are submitted through Jotform. To be eligible, you must have participated in a Take The Lead program and be available to attend the conference and awards ceremony on August 26, 2026, in Washington, DC. After the application period closes, Gloria Feldt and the Take The Lead team review submissions and select honorees in each category.
Show Up Ready. Show Up Powerfully.
Once selected and confirmed, your preparation begins. The Take The Lead team works with you directly to ensure you arrive at Power Up 2026 fully ready to own the moment, deliver your speech, and connect with the community around you.
Your Experience Begins the Night Before.
As a Power Tool Champion honoree, you are invited to the Full Experience on August 25: the Femme Art Fair, Reception, Dinner, and the Opening Concert. Come dressed to represent your award category. Connect with your fellow honorees before the main event. The moment you accept, your Power Up 2026 begins.
The Main Stage. 1,000 Leaders Watching.
Your award is presented live on the main stage at the Power Up Conference, timed to a key session moment. Awards are woven throughout the day's programming, giving each honoree her own spotlight. You will participate in a group photo and a 90-second video vignette that captures the full honoree cohort.
Your Recognition Extends Well Beyond the Stage.
Take The Lead runs a dedicated social media spotlight series after the conference, featuring each honoree with a full professional write-up across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Additional visibility continues through the Leading Out Loud Conversations series and other Take The Lead community touchpoints throughout the year.
Eligibility
Who Should Apply/Be Nominated
The Power Tool Champion Awards are designed exclusively for Take The Lead program alumna who are ready to step into a higher level of visibility and community connection.
Take The Lead Program
Graduate
You have completed at least one Take The Lead program, including 9 Leadership Power Tools training, cohort programs, or leadership intensives. This award is exclusively for Take The Lead Alumna.
Doing Meaningful Work
You are actively applying Take The Lead principles in your professional life, community, or field. Your work demonstrates real impact. You have a story worth telling, and people whose lives reflect your leadership.
Available to Attend
You are available and committed to attending Power Up 2026 in Washington, DC on August 25 and 26. Receiving the award requires your presence on the main stage. Virtual attendance does not qualify.
Who is eligible?
Ready to apply for Power Up 2026?
The Power Tool Champion Award experience begins the moment you receive your notification. Review the process so you can show up fully prepared to own every phase of the journey.
Honorees are selected by Gloria Feldt and the Take The Lead Leadership team. Once confirmed, the Take the Lead team handles your preparation end-to-end, from your acceptance speech to your post-event social rollout. You focus on showing up. The infrastructure is handled.