If you have a great story about why you have made New Hampshire your home, there’s a statewide organization that wants to hear it.

Stay Work Play New Hampshire, a nonprofit that promotes the Granite State as a destination for young workers and recent graduates, is looking for nominations for its annual awards extravaganza. The 2016 ceremony features renowned New Hampshire innovator Dean Kamen as featured speaker.

Executive director Kate Luczko said there are great "movers and shakers" in Nashua, as well as companies in Greater Nashua working hard to promote themselves to younger people.

"And they’re doing innovative things. Putting a spotlight on those folks really is what this is all about," Luczko said.

Nominations close July 22. The search culminates in the Rising Stars Awards in October.

The awards are an initiative of Stay Work Play and its partner New Hampshire Public Radio to celebrate and recognize the state’s young workers, entrepreneurs and college students’ the initiatives to keep them here; as well as the businesses and programs that go the extra mile to recruit and retain them.

New to the annual award event this year is the ‘Shire Story of the Year Award, a video-based presentation that highlight’s an individual’s message, vision and personality in a 90-second video. The group wants to hear from people living, working or who have returned to the Granite State and why they choose New Hampshire to live and work.

The message is key, said Luczko, not slick presentation.

"It’s been fun. We reached out to local celebrities to see what they would come up with," she said.

Other categories include Civic Leader of the Year; College Student of the Year; Coolest Companies for Young Professionals; Leadership Development Program of the Year; Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Young Professional of the Year.

Along the way, 25 individuals and organizations that are marked as finalists receive a push from Stay Work Play’s social media promotion of the nominations and upcoming event.

The buzz, says Luczko, serves as both positive spin for them and helps promote the cause of Stay Work Play itself.

Additionally, Luczko characterized the partnership with Kamen as a "great alignment."

Kamen is the founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and DEKA Research and Development Corporation. He has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

"It is of extreme importance that we foster a culture of rewarding and celebrating young talent in the Granite State," Kamen said in a statement.

"If we are to reach our goals and breed pioneering attitudes for future generations, then we are obligated to inspire our young people to have a foundation upon which to build and to ensure they have the tools to extend the path for innovation in NH," he added.

Luczko said Kamen could have moved anywhere, but opted to stay in New Hampshire.

"We’re excited to hear his message. He’s hugely successful and serves as a great role model for anyone with an idea," she added. "It is fitting to celebrate the 2016 finalists with someone who not only appreciates and understands the extraordinary talent of young people and those who support them, but also knows the value of New Hampshire."

More information on nominations, the video award and the upcoming event can be found at stayworkplay.org.

Don Himsel can be reached at 594-6590, dhimsel@nashuatelegraph.com, or @Telegraph_DonH.

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