Five pillars. Five awards. One national stage for inclusion.
The Romanian Diversity Awards celebrate outstanding contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across the RDCC’s five core pillars:
Gender Equality. Disability Inclusion. Identity Inclusion. Ethnicity & Cultural Diversity. Seniority & Intergenerational Inclusion.
Each year, the awards recognise five winners, one for each pillar, selected for their meaningful action, measurable impact, and commitment to building a more inclusive Romania.
Nominations are open to companies, NGOs, public institutions, employee networks, community projects, campaigns, teams, and individuals whose work has created positive change within one of the five pillars.
How to enter
These awards are FREE to enter.
- Download the Awards_Nomination_Form HERE.
- Select the category bellow that best fits your nomination and complete the form in full.
- Prepare your supporting materials (such as testimonials, press articles, reports, or certificates).
- Email the completed form together with all required attachments to contact@rdcc.ro
– Suggested subject line: RDA Nomination + [Category]
If you are experiencing difficulties or have questions, please contact the team at contact@rdcc.ro
NOMINATIONS CLOSE AT 10:00PM ON 25.11.2026 Late or incomplete submissions may not be considered.
How the awards work
The Romanian Diversity Awards are designed as a focused recognition platform for the Romanian DEI landscape.
Rather than presenting multiple sub-categories, the programme recognises five major awards. Each award represents one of RDCC’s core inclusion pillars.
Each pillar will have:
- One shortlist
- One winner
- One dedicated moment of recognition on the Romanian Diversity Awards stage
The jury may shortlist several nominees in each pillar, but only one winner per pillar will be announced during the gala.
This format keeps each award meaningful, selective, and prestigious.
Award Categories
The Gender Equality Award recognises an outstanding organisation, initiative, campaign, employee network, project, or individual advancing gender equality in the workplace or wider society.
This award celebrates work that challenges gender-based barriers, promotes equal opportunity, supports women’s leadership, addresses bias or discrimination, and contributes to safer, fairer, and more inclusive environments for people of all genders.
This category may include work focused on women’s empowerment, gender-balanced leadership, pay equity, inclusive recruitment and promotion, parental support, workplace safety, gender-based violence awareness, allyship, and the inclusion of gender-diverse people.
The nomination should highlight:
- The gender equality challenge or opportunity addressed.
- The actions, initiatives, policies, campaigns, or programmes delivered.
- Evidence of impact achieved in the past 12 months.
- How the work improved access, representation, safety, visibility, or opportunity.
- The long-term commitment behind the initiative.
- The voices, communities, or lived experiences involved in the work.
The Disability Inclusion & Accessibility Award recognises outstanding work that advances disability inclusion, accessibility, and the participation of people with disabilities.
This award celebrates organisations, initiatives, networks, campaigns, projects, or individuals that remove barriers, improve access, promote disability confidence, support inclusive employment, design accessible services, or create environments where people with disabilities can participate fully and equally.
This category may include work focused on physical accessibility, digital accessibility, inclusive hiring, workplace adjustments, assistive technologies, accessible events, disability awareness, neurodiversity, mental health inclusion, independent living, or inclusive customer experience.
The nomination should highlight:
- The accessibility or disability inclusion barrier addressed.
- The practical changes made to systems, services, spaces, workplaces, communications, or culture.
- How people with disabilities were involved in the design, delivery, or evaluation of the work.
- Evidence of measurable impact or improved access.
- The sustainability of the initiative.
- How the work contributed to dignity, autonomy, participation, and belonging.
The Identity Inclusion Award recognises outstanding work that builds inclusive culture and advances identity inclusion, (inc. LGBT ).
This award celebrates organisations, cultural initiatives, campaigns, employee networks, community projects, media platforms, creative voices, or individuals that create safer spaces, challenge stigma, promote allyship, increase visibility, and support LGBT communities.
This category may include work focused on queer culture, arts and storytelling, workplace inclusion, Pride initiatives, allyship programmes, education, safe spaces, inclusive policies, public campaigns, media representation, or community support.
The nomination should highlight:
- The identity inclusion or LGBT inclusion issue addressed.
- The communities involved and represented.
- The activities, campaigns, programmes, events, or advocacy delivered.
- Evidence of reach, engagement, visibility, or social impact.
- How the work challenged stereotypes, reduced stigma, or created safer spaces.
- The authenticity and responsibility of the representation.
The Ethnicity & Cultural Diversity Award recognises outstanding work that advances ethnic, racial, national, linguistic, religious, or cultural inclusion.
This award celebrates organisations, initiatives, campaigns, employee networks, community projects, or individuals that challenge prejudice, promote representation, support minority communities, encourage intercultural dialogue, and create equitable access to opportunity.
This category may include work focused on Roma inclusion, migrant and refugee inclusion, national minorities, religious diversity, intercultural education, anti-racism, inclusive recruitment, cultural representation, multilingual access, or community empowerment.
The nomination should highlight:
- The ethnic, cultural, racial, national, linguistic, or religious inclusion challenge addressed.
- The communities involved and the needs identified.
- The actions taken to improve representation, access, participation, or opportunity.
- Evidence of impact in the workplace, community, institution, media, education, or wider society.
- How the work challenged discrimination, bias, exclusion, or stereotypes.
- The long-term value created for the communities served.
The Seniority & Intergenerational Inclusion Award recognises outstanding work that promotes inclusion across age, career stage, and generations.
This award celebrates organisations, initiatives, campaigns, employee networks, projects, or individuals addressing ageism, supporting older workers, empowering young people, encouraging intergenerational collaboration, and creating environments where people of all ages can contribute and thrive.
This category may include work focused on older employee inclusion, youth opportunity, mentoring, reverse mentoring, lifelong learning, reskilling, inclusive career development, age-diverse teams, retirement transition, or intergenerational community projects.
The nomination should highlight:
- The age-related or intergenerational challenge addressed.
- The group or groups supported, such as young people, older workers, mid-career professionals, or mixed-generation teams.
- The actions taken to improve inclusion, learning, collaboration, or opportunity.
- Evidence of measurable outcomes or meaningful change.
- How the work challenged age-based assumptions or barriers.
- The sustainability and future potential of the initiative.
Who can be nominated?
Nominations are open to a wide range of contributors to the Romanian DEI landscape, including:
- Companies and employers
- NGOs, foundations, and associations
- Public institutions
- Educational institutions
- Employee networks and resource groups
- Community projects
- Campaigns and cultural initiatives
- DEI, HR, CSR, ESG, communication, or leadership teams
- Individuals, advocates, allies, role models, entrepreneurs, creators, and community leaders
A nomination may represent an organisation, a team, a project, a campaign, a network, or an individual, as long as it clearly aligns with one of RDCC’s five pillars.
General Judging Criteria
Across all five categories, the jury will assess nominations according to the following criteria:
Relevance
Does the nomination clearly address one of RDCC’s five DEI pillars?
Action
What concrete actions, initiatives, campaigns, policies, programmes, or advocacy were delivered?
Impact
What changed as a result of this work? Judges will look for evidence of measurable outcomes, progress, influence, or positive change.
Evidence
Strong nominations should include supporting materials such as testimonials, reports, case studies, media coverage, data, images, videos, policies, certificates, or evaluation results.
Authenticity
Was the work designed and delivered with respect, credibility, and meaningful involvement from the people or communities it aims to support?
Sustainability
Does the work show long-term commitment, continued relevance, and potential to create lasting change?
Intersectionality
Where relevant, does the nomination recognise that people may experience inclusion and exclusion through overlapping identities and lived experiences?
Supporting Materials
Nominees are encouraged to include materials that strengthen their application, such as:
- Testimonials
- Case studies
- Reports or impact summaries
- Press articles or media coverage
- Photos or videos
- Campaign materials
- Certificates or awards
- Internal policies or programme documentation
- Data, benchmarks, or evaluation results
- Statements from beneficiaries, employees, partners, or community members
Ready to nominate?
Choose the pillar that best represents your work and submit your nomination for the Romanian Diversity Awards.
Download the Awards Nomination Form and send your completed application with supporting materials to contact@rdcc.ro.