The Bob Williams Awards for Outstanding Policy Achievement celebrate SPN affiliates doing exceptional work to help states implement free-market solutions that have a national impact. Named in honor of state leader and policy maven Bob Williams, the awards celebrate the monumental work of our 50-state Network and give validation to our in-state partners and their supporters.

The 2025 Bob Williams Awards have five categories:

  • Most Influential Research: Recognizes the organization whose original research achieved a high level of influence in academia, media, or policy-making arenas.
  • Best Issue Campaign: Recognizes the organization that ran the highest quality issue education campaign towards achieving a policy win.
  • Biggest Home State Win: Recognizes the organization that achieved a significant policy win in their home state. Your win can come from any jurisdiction in your home state, local government, executive, judicial, legislative, or etc.
  • Biggest Win for Freedom: Recognizes the organization(s) whose effort was instrumental toward securing a significant policy victory this year. Wins can be one state or a multi-state effort; offense or defense; state or national.
  • Best State-Based Litigation: Recognizes litigative efforts at the state and local level, which help to advance the cause of free markets and federalism.

Nominations for the 2025 Bob Williams Awards are now open and will run through June 25th. Any affiliate state think tank can apply for any of the original four award categories. The Best State-Based Litigation Award is open to national partners, provided their litigation was state or local in focus.

 Finalists will be selected by an internal committee of SPN staff and will be announced on June 30th. Voting, limited to registered attendees of our 33rd Annual Meeting, will run from June 30th to July 10th. Winners will be announced at the annual Celebration of Success Awards Dinner at this year’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, on August 27th.

For more information, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, visit the Bob Williams Award website.