About the Daily Point of Light Award
The Daily Point of Light Award is a national volunteer award that celebrates extraordinary everyday service. Points of Light created it to honor individuals who take action to create change in their communities. Recognition goes beyond celebrating one person and helps more people see what is possible and inspires others to serve.
Honor Someone Whose Service Deserves to be Seen
The Daily Point of Light Award is a way to celebrate people whose volunteer service reflects care, commitment, and real community impact. If you know someone who is making a difference through sustained service, this is a chance to recognize their work and help their story reach others.
Who Can Be Nominated
- Volunteers of any age
- Individuals creating meaningful community impact
- People whose service shows consistency, leadership, or sustained commitment
- Changemakers whose work helps others, solves problems, or strengthens community ties
How the Nomination Process Works
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Step One
Submit a nomination and share who the volunteer is, what they do, and why their service matters.
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Step Two
The Points of Light team reviews submissions and may follow up for additional details if needed.
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Step Three
Selected honorees are featured and celebrated, inspiring others to take action and give back.
Eligibility
The Daily Point of Light Award is open to legal U.S. residents whose volunteer service is unpaid and not court-ordered. Nominees may receive a nominal stipend or paid time off to volunteer and still be eligible. In most cases, the service should have been ongoing for at least six uninterrupted months, except in disaster relief.
Strong nominations reflect service that responds to a real community need, shows clear impact, and has a path to continue over time.
Criteria
Nominations are reviewed using three core criteria:
- A clear community need and a thoughtful response
- Demonstrated impact, including outputs or outcomes
- An innovative or distinctive approach to addressing serious social problems
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Daily Point of Light Honorees
Each Daily Point of Light story highlights an individual whose volunteer service is meeting real needs and creating meaningful change. Collectively, these stories show what service looks like in action and how one person’s commitment can motivate more people to make a difference.
Know someone whose service deserves recognition?
Nominate a volunteer for the Daily Point of Light Award and help bring their story to light so it can reach and inspire others to act.
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A Youth Champion for Menstrual Equity
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Dhiya Thirumurugan. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. When Dhiya Thirumurugan was younger, periods were something she felt too shy to talk about or even to ask for help with. Noticing that menstrual…
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Turning Women into Political Leaders
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Isabelle Enriques. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. When Isabelle Enriques founded She's in Office in January 2025, she set out to do two things at once: end gender-based violence and put more…
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EMPOWERING PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA TO BREATHE FREELY
eet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Mia Fritsch-Anderson. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. Mia Fritsch-Anderson remembers what it’s like to be afraid to use her inhaler in front of other people as a child. Growing up,…
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What Happens When Students Support Students
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Liza Lowe. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed deep inequities between Los Angeles neighborhoods. A group of high schoolers decided to do something about it. And today, Liza Lowe serves as…
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Eating Disorders: When Pressure Becomes a Problem
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Michelle Ye. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. Points of Light is proud to share the following uplifting and inspiring story. However, we acknowledge that portions may be difficult for some…
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From a Single Campus Book Drive to a Global Literacy Movement
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Adam Shamoun. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. Adam Shamoun's father grew up in Syria without access to educational opportunity, an experience that shaped everything his son would go on to build. That…
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Where Music Becomes Medicine
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Grace Sun. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. At 15, during the loneliest days of the pandemic, Grace Sun sat down at her piano and began playing over Zoom for isolated older…
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WORKING TO ELIMINATE PERIOD POVERTY
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Maanya Pandey. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. Growing up, Maanya Pandey would hear her mother’s stories about how inaccessible and expensive period products were in her native…