In October, we celebrated the winners of the 2018 American Civic Collaboration Awards - or "the Civvys" - in a ceremony at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. While all of our nominees and finalists do inspiring work to better their communities and strengthen the fabric of the nation, this year's winners represent exemplar cases of high-impact, truly collaborative initiatives. 

We asked our winners to answer a few questions about the role of civic collaboration in what they do. This week, meet our winner in the National category, iCivics. 

Emma Humphries and Amber Coleman-Mortley accept the Civvys award on behalf of iCivics.

On October 18, 2018 at the National Conference in Citizenship in Washington, D.C., six inspiring initiatives were honored as winners of the 2018 American Civic Collaboration awards.

In the spring, Big Tent Nation served as part of the committee to launch the first National Week of Conversation, bringing Americans from all walks of life together in dialogue in over 300 facilitated conversation events around the country. Based on the inspiring success of this initiative, we're excited to support the National Conversation Project, which will bring the mission of "listening first" year-round.

We hope you've been enjoying the warm weather and longer days of the summer! We've stayed busy reading the latest news in innovation in civics, tech, economics and politics. Get your "Summer Reading" in with some of these key links:

Thanks to the heroic efforts of our nominators, nominees, judges and friends, the inaugural year of the American Civic Collaboration Awards was a big success!  Every single nominee last year had an inspiring story and was working tirelessly to help heal our nation’s divides and strengthen our communities.

Big Tent is proud to be part of the planning committee for the National Week of Conversation, a week of events promoting respectful dialogue on America’s hottest political issues.

The National Institute for Civil Discourse was one of our inaugural winners of the American Civic Collaboration Awards, or Civvys. Through a partnership with the National Foundation for Women Legislators and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, NICD modeled a collaborative process that served to bring together common interests and work across divides. Together, these groups are helping to heal America. Director of State Programs Ted Celeste discussed the award, what it means, and next steps for the organization. 

 In October, we awarded an inaugural American Civic Collaboration Award, or Civvy, to the National Foundation for Women Legislators, for their collaborative work with the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and the National Institute for Civil Discourse. This partnership has pioneered new, smart ways of bridging partisan divides and amplifying the power of citizens to act through their elected representatives. NFWL Executive Director Jody Thomas filled us in on the experience of winning the award and the collaborative process.

In October, we awarded the State Legislative Leaders Foundation with an American Civic Collaboration Award - or a Civvy - for their collaborative work with the National Foundation for Women Legislators and the National Institute for Civil Discourse. President Steven G. Lakis filled us in on what winning a Civvy meant to his organization, and their hopes for 2018 in America. 

In October, we were pleased to present New Hampshire Listens with an inaugural American Civic Collaboration Award, or a Civvy - the first national awards program celebrating collaborative efforts to improve communities. New Hampshire Listens facilitates civil conversation in the state of New Hampshire on controversial public challenges. We caught up with them on the experience and their goals for 2018.