Four organizations honored for outstanding advocacy, innovative strategies, and measurable policy impact at Quorum’s 2026 Wonk Summit in Washington, D.C.
Quorum, the AI-powered platform for government affairs, announced the winners of its inaugural Wonk Awards, recognizing four organizations whose advocacy, campaigns, and innovative approaches delivered significant results in government affairs in 2026.
Presented on October 8 at Quorum’s Wonk Week in Washington, D.C., the awards honored the Joyful Heart Foundation, National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), Everytown for Gun Safety, and Human Rights First for their achievements in advancing policy, mobilizing advocates, and driving measurable change.
“Government affairs work is measured by the impact it creates,” said Alex Wirth, CEO and co-founder of Quorum. “This year’s winners changed laws, mobilized thousands of advocates, and brought greater transparency to complex policy challenges. Their work demonstrates the power of thoughtful strategy, effective advocacy, and a relentless focus on results. We created the Wonk Awards to recognize those accomplishments and celebrate the people behind them.”
The 2026 Wonk Award Winners
- Federal Campaign of the Year: National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). NMDP hand-delivered 25,009 petition signatures on Capitol Hill and reached all 535 congressional offices, helping H.R. 5160 pass the House unanimously to reauthorize the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program.
- State Campaign of the Year: Everytown for Gun Safety. In just two legislative cycles, Everytown for Gun Safety turned a first-in-the-nation policy into law in California, Maryland, New York, and Connecticut, requiring gun manufacturers to redesign or stop selling handguns that can be easily converted into illegal machine guns.
- Innovation & Impact Award: Human Rights First. In its first year, Human Rights First’s ICE Flight Monitor turned public aviation data into an independent tracker of deportation and detention-transfer flights, generating 371 press hits and 9,867 grassroots actions, and informing new congressional oversight.
- Nonprofit Team of the Year: Joyful Heart Foundation. With a policy team of three, Joyful Heart Foundation completed a 16-year campaign in May 2026, when Maine passed rape kit reform, and every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico had enacted at least one of its Six Pillars of Rape Kit Reform.
A panel of judges evaluated submissions based on strategic thinking, execution, creativity, and measurable impact.
Bringing the Government Affairs Community Together
The inaugural Wonk Awards capped off Wonk Week 2026, Quorum’s annual gathering of government affairs, advocacy, and public policy professionals, where attendees exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore the future of the profession.
Wonk Week began October 5–7 with three days of free virtual programming covering AI in government affairs, grassroots advocacy, PAC strategy, legislative tracking, coalition building, and stakeholder engagement.
The week concluded with the in-person Wonk Summit on October 8 in Washington, D.C., featuring public affairs leaders from Chipotle, Walmart, the ALS Association, and the National Restaurant Association, along with a closing conversation with Eugene Daniels of MS NOW.
Together, the events highlighted the strategies, technologies, and relationships shaping modern public affairs while celebrating the professionals delivering real-world results.
Watch the virtual sessions on demand with the Wonk Week Digital recordings.
About Quorum
Quorum is AI for government affairs. Its integrated platform brings together legislative tracking, stakeholder management, grassroots advocacy, PAC management, and AI-powered intelligence, helping organizations understand the policy landscape and execute their strategies in one place. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., Quorum supports organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits. Learn more at www.quorum.us.