KEARNEY, Neb. - Women making a difference in business, education, and community service took center stage Wednesday as Kearney hosted its inaugural Inspire Awards.

The event, new to Kearney this year, honored finalists in eight categories ranging from healthcare to education, recognizing professional achievement, leadership and service.

More than 100 nominations were submitted by community members, with winners selected by an advisory board of local leaders.

Organizers say expanding the Inspire program from Grand Island to Kearney was a natural choice.

“It’s such a great honor to bring this program to Kearney,” said Inspire Awards Advisory Board Member Dee Klein. “We had over 100 nominations our first year, which is awesome, and we just hope it will grow in the years to come.”

In addition to celebrating community leaders, the Inspire Awards also invested in the next generation.

This year’s $2,500 Inspire Scholarship went to Ava Magnani of Kearney High School, helping support her higher education goals.

The day’s highest honor, Woman of the Year, went to Judi Sickler who is the President and CEO of the Kearney Area Community Foundation.

Under her leadership the foundation has grown from $5 million to more than $51 million in assets, has distributed millions in charitable grants and manages over 200 charitable foundations, according to organizers.

Sickler said she was honored by the recognition.

“Wow. Girl power, right? But no I’m honestly very humbled to be recognized as Woman of the Year. It really means a lot to me that there's so many women here that also deserve that title. So we're all Women of the Year," said Sickler.

Nominations for the 2026 Inspire Awards will open in June, with tickets for next year’s luncheon available in August.

More information is available at inspirekearney.com.