Philly’s Trailblazing Women Deserve Their Moment. Help Us Give It to Them!

The 2025 Philadelphia magazine Trailblazer Committee with honorees Victoria Wilson (front left) and Shirlana Dash (front right), at the Trailblazer Awards Luncheon, held at Water Works by Cescaphe / Photography by Phil Kramer

Here at Philly Mag, we live and die by deadlines. We hate them. We sprint toward them, hide from them, curse at them, lose sleep over them. Show us any journalist who says, “Deadlines are the best!” and we’ll show you a bald-faced liar.

The exception is the fast-approaching January 31st reader-nomination deadline for the 22nd annual Philadelphia magazine Trailblazer Awards, our celebration of the extraordinary women of accomplishment who shape the city and region we call home. (Click here for the nomination form.)

We love this deadline!  Because when it passes, our review panel can start the joyful work of sifting and sorting your candidates to identify a winner in two categories.

There’s the Trailblazer, which recognizes a seasoned pioneer in her field, whose generosity to her community is evident in how much time, talent, and heart she has already given it. Basically, her life is an inspiration.

2025 Trailblazer Shirlana Dash

Just look at last year’s winner, Shirlana Dash, CEO of the human-services agency SELF Inc., who has spent her entire career meeting people where they’re at, asking those in crisis — from conditions like addiction, homelessness, hunger, or mental illness — “Forget what we think you need. What do you think you need?” And then figuring out how to help.

Then there’s the Luminary Leader, which recognizes a young woman (age 35 or under) who is early in her mission but whose work is already turning heads. When you meet her, you can just feel that something significant and long-term is in process.

2025 Luminary Leader Victoria Wilson

Last year’s winner, Victoria Wilson, is operations director at  Sharing Excess, the nimble food-rescue organization that rescues surplus food from businesses (like grocers, farms, and wholesalers) and redistributes it to people who are hungry. Genius!

Here in Philly, we’re surrounded by women like Dash and Wilson — the founders and fixers, artists and advocates, scientists and strategists, educators and healers, organizers and executives and public servants. The Trailblazer Awards give them a chance to take a bow. Wanna know the best part? Readers (ahem, you) are the ones who help shine the spotlight.

Wilson and Dash with Philadelphia magazine publisher Katie Bruno (middle)

So, who’s on your radar for 2026? Who’s the woman whose vision, grit, creativity, care, leadership, and/or purpose shows up in the lives of the people, communities, or organizations she serves? Who’s making things better because someone has to do it, dammit, and she’s decided it’s her?

If you know a woman whose example has moved you, whose work has changed an office, a neighborhood, a cause — nominate her. If there’s a young woman whose impact already hints at a future we’ll be lucky to benefit from — nominate her. If you know a woman whose accomplishments would bring applause if only more people knew about everything she’s doing  — nominate her.

But for her sake, make it snappy, please. January 31st (at 11:59 p.m.) is rushing toward us, friends, and it’s a deadline none of us want to miss.

To nominate your Trailblazer, click here.