Vote for the 2026 Finalists of The HUDSYS Community Awards!

The HUDSYs Community Awards celebrate creators, educators, and connectors who are shaping the Hudson Valley through storytelling, education, and community impact.

Finalists were nominated by the community and selected by a HUDSY committee. Community voting plays an important role in informing the final award recipients, alongside internal review.

This form includes four award categories. You may vote in any or all categories. Scroll to continue through each section.

 

*Voting ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, February 1st.

Learn more about The HUDSYS HERE [link].

CREATE Award

The Create Award celebrates a person, organization, or project that exemplifies creative excellence or innovation through storytelling or artistry across any medium, and makes a positive impact on the community through their work.

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Broadway in Beacon

Broadway in Beacon brings Broadway professionals together with talented community members through monthly musical theatre performances and a Rising Stars open mic for young artists. Featuring original material and collaborative, audience-driven moments, the series creates shared musical theatre experiences rooted in the Hudson Valley community.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

 

Paul Thompson

Paul is a multidisciplinary media creator who works across documentaries, narrative-driven visuals, and impact-driven storytelling. A longtime media educator, he has mentored thousands of young people while producing projects for artists, brands, and local organizations, with a core commitment to community impact and meaningful, lasting change. 

View some of Paul's work HERE [LINK] 

 

Unshattered

Unshattered is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to end the addiction relapse cycle by providing pathways toward economic independence and sustained sobriety. By employing women in recovery to design and handcraft goods from upcycled materials, the organization fosters healing, confidence, and long-term growth beyond sobriety.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

EDUCATE Award

The Educate Award honors a person, organization, or project who creatively inspires learning, shares knowledge, and empowers others through education, mentorship, or skill-building.

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Andrea Velasquez

Andrea Velasquez is a violinist and orchestra educator. A longtime member and teacher with the Stringendo Orchestra School, she leads multiple youth ensembles, teaches private lessons, and works as a middle school orchestra teacher, combining performance and education to inspire young musicians and foster a lifelong love of music.

 

Career InTouch

Career InTouch Inc. empowers students through mentorship, fostering essential soft skills and self-awareness for academic and personal success. The organization champions underrepresented students, driving social change and supporting student success and mobility.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

 

Community Matters 2

Community Matters 2, Inc. (CM2) is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth, strengthens families, and advances neighborhood pride through youth development, workforce readiness, and STEAM enrichment. Through programs like its STEAM Enrichment Summer Camp and youth employment initiatives, CM2 supports learning, skill-building, and opportunity for young people.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

CONNECT Award

The Connect Award recognizes a person, organization, or project that brings people together to create meaningful community experiences and/or relationships in the Hudson Valley.

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

ConnectHV

ConnectHV is a homegrown community for Hudson Valley creatives, professionals, and small businesses. What began as an online directory has grown into a vibrant group chat and monthly in-person meetups, connecting people across industries to share opportunities, find jobs, and build meaningful relationships beyond traditional networking.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

 

Erica Brown

Erica Brown is a Kingston native and the Community Engagement Coordinator at Radio Kingston, where she builds connections across the community through collaboration and partnership. Guided by a commitment to access, inclusion, and diversity, she works with nonprofits and serves on multiple local boards to support programs that empower individuals and strengthen the community as a whole.

 

Upstate Color

Upstate Color (UPCO) is a BIPOC volunteer-run community cultivating a sense of belonging by engaging and connecting with each other and our Hudson Valley surroundings. Through gatherings that bring people into the landscape and into community—happy hours, hikes, food pop-ups, youth and family activities, and more—UPCO supports connection without the pressure of being the “only one in the room.” We are here to create and hold space together. UPCO is by color, for color.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

THE GOLDEN HUDSY

The GOLDEN HUDSY is a lifetime achievement style award for a person, organization or project that exemplifies all three pillars: CREATE. EDUCATE. CONNECT.

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

The Sanctuary for Independent Media

The Sanctuary for Independent Media began as a group of independent media artists and has grown into a campus for arts and cultural exchange focused on social and environmental justice. Through film screenings, live music, talks, participatory media-making workshops, and community-centered spaces, the organization invites the public to be creators while exploring how social and environmental justice intersect with everyday life.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

 

Woodstock Film Festival

The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is an Academy Award®–qualifying film festival and year-round arts organization that presents independent cinema alongside panels, filmmaker conversations, and community programming. Now in its 27th year, WFF brings people together across the region to inspire conversation, education, and connection through film.

Learn more HERE [LINK]

 

Youth FX

Youth FX empowers young people ages 10–25 by teaching the technical and creative aspects of digital filmmaking and media production. Through hands-on, collaborative programming, the organization develops leadership, creativity, and critical thinking while amplifying the voices of youth from historically under-served communities.

Learn more HERE [LINK]