Nominations are being accepted for the Michael Simning Community Builder Award, an annual prize that recognizes people who have contributed to the community in Gwangju.

To be eligible, nominees should be involved in an expat-oriented organization that has made a significant, lasting impact on the local community. The selection committee will consider community activities in the last year when deciding on the winner.

The award was created to honor Michael Simning, a local expat who contributed to several charity and community activities and died in 2014. The previous winners were Sungbin Orphanage volunteer Al Barnum in 2015 and Jeff Hamilton and Kelly Palmer Kim in 2016 for their work in creating and running Global Families of Gwangju.

The finalists for this year’s award will be announced on May 17, and the award itself will be made on June 3, to coincide with Simning’s birthday, which falls on the following day.

Nominations will be accepted until Tuesday. A submission form is available at the Gwangju Community Builders Facebook page.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heralcorp.com)