Wawa announced the details and timeline of the 2022 Wawa Foundation Hero Award, which is presented during the annual Wawa Welcome America Festival. The announcement was made by the Wawa Foundation, which is a registered non-profit corporation founded by Wawa to support the company’s charitable giving and philanthropic activities.

The Wawa Foundation Hero Award honors a non-profit organization and its volunteers serving Philadelphia by providing services that build stronger communities through preserving independence, protecting safety and mentoring and inspiring the youth.

Submissions will be accepted from now until June 3, followed by a community voting period from June 13-29. The award will then be announced on July 4.

To submit an entry, qualified non-profit organizations can share a story or video about their impact on the Philadelphia community, including mission, purpose and services, through The Wawa Foundation website. The four most compelling stories will be selected for voting by the public. The organization that receives the highest number of votes will be submitted to The Wawa Foundation Hero Award Panel for confirmation. Once confirmed, they will then be recognized with The Wawa Foundation Hero Award on July 4. The Wawa Foundation Hero Award recipient will be announced during the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony with the winner receiving a $50,000 grant, and the runners up each receiving $10,000 grants.

Previous Wawa Foundation Hero Award winners are not eligible for a period of ten years from the year they won, and previous runners up are not eligible for a period of five years from the year they were recognized.