Social Impact Awards

This award was created in recognition of Peter Westbrook and his dedication to creating access for youth from underserved communities into the sport of fencing. Westbrook is a legendary American saber fencer who was a member of every U.S. Olympic team from 1976 through 1996. He’s the first African American person to win an Olympic medal in the sport of fencing — a bronze at the 1984 Olympics.

In 1991, Westbrook founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that uses fencing to enrich the lives of young people from under-resourced communities in the New York metropolitan area. To date, his organization has served more than 4,000 participants and has helped develop many USA Fencing World Champions and Olympians. Some of his notable fencers include Ibtihaj Muhammad, Daryl Homer, Yeisser Ramirez, Nzingha Prescod, Erinn and Keeth Smart, and many other decorated athletes. 

It is our hope that this award inspires fencing clubs to be trailblazers in the advancement and growth of our sport. We encourage clubs to support the mission of our organization by implementing innovative programming that expands access to the sport of fencing in your local communities. 

• Be a USA Fencing member club.
• Have exhibited and sustained efforts toward engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

Members of the Awards and Recognition subcommittee of the USA Fencing DEIB Committee will review applications and vote on a winner. 

Nominees will be evaluated per the following criteria:

Base of Operations—demonstrates emerging or sustained commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for youth from underserved or under- resourced communities, proportionate to their capacity to do so (for example, some clubs with larger membership and funding may be able to perform this service more visibly than those with smaller membership). 

Scope & Effort—demonstrates exceptional efforts beyond the general scope of a club to eliminate barriers to entry into the sport of fencing; promotes an environment free of bias and discrimination; advances goals of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the advancement of youth. 

Impact—demonstrates that their efforts to create access into the sport of fencing have resulted in positive outcomes that benefit participants, the community at large, and have a potential to serve as a model for the establishment of other programs or activities.

The winner of this award will receive the following:

• $1,000 monetary award
• $1,000 award to be applied towards any of the following options: 
• Premium Membership, which includes insurance covered under USA Fencing
• Access memberships
• Coach membership(s)

This award honors fencing clubs that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and service to the advancement of women in the sport of fencing. Particularly, this award is given to clubs that are intentional with the engagement and development of women as fencers, coaches and future leaders. 

Be a USA Fencing member club.

Have exhibited and sustained efforts toward engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

Members of the Awards and Recognition subcommittee of the USA Fencing DEIB Committee will review applications and vote on a winner. 

Nominees will be evaluated per the following criteria:

Base of Operations—demonstrates emerging or sustained commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for the advancement of women in the sport of fencing, proportionate to their capacity to do so (for example, some clubs with larger membership and funding may be able to perform this service more visibly than those with smaller membership).. 

Scope & Effort—demonstrates exceptional efforts beyond the general scope of a club to eliminate barriers to entry and advancement for women in the sport of fencing; promotes an environment free of bias and discrimination. 

Impact—demonstrates that their efforts for the advancement of women in the sport of fencing have resulted in positive outcomes that benefit participants, the community at large, and have a potential to serve as a model for the establishment of other programs or activities.

The winner will receive a $1,000 award to be applied towards any of the following options: 

• Premium Membership, which includes insurance covered under USA Fencing
• Access memberships
• Coach membership(s)

This award honors fencing clubs that have demonstrated a strong commitment to the advancement of parafencing in their local communities and have produced athletes that have competed for the USA Parafencing National Team.

This award is given to clubs that are intentional with the engagement and development of disabled athletes as parafencers, coaches and future leaders. 

• Be a USA Fencing member club.
• Have exhibited and sustained efforts toward engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Have produced athletes that have competed for the USA Parafencing National Team

Members of the Awards and Recognition subcommittee of the USA Fencing DEIB Committee will review applications and vote on a winner. 

Nominees will be evaluated per the following criteria:

Base of Operations—demonstrates emerging or sustained commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for the advancement of parafencing, proportional to their capacity to do so (for example, some clubs with larger membership and funding may be able to perform this service more visibly than those with smaller membership).

Scope & Effort—demonstrates exceptional efforts beyond the general scope of a club to eliminate barriers to entry and advancement for parafencers; promotes an environment free of bias and discrimination. 

Impact—demonstrates that their efforts for the advancement of parafencers have resulted in positive outcomes that benefit participants, the community at large, and have a potential to serve as a model for the establishment of other programs or activities.

The winner will receive a $1,000 award to be applied towards any of the following options: 

• Premium Membership, which includes insurance covered under USA Fencing
• Access memberships
• Coach membership(s)

• Be a USA Fencing member club.
• Have exhibited and sustained efforts toward engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

Members of the Awards and Recognition subcommittee of the USA Fencing DEIB Committee will review applications and vote on a winner. 

Nominees will be evaluated per the following criteria:

Base of Operations—demonstrates emerging or sustained commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for Persons with disabilities, proportionate to their capacity to do so (for example, some clubs with larger membership and funding may be able to perform this service more visibly than those with smaller membership). 

Scope & Effort—demonstrates exceptional efforts beyond the general scope of a club to eliminate barriers to entry into the sport of fencing; promotes an environment free of bias and discrimination; advances goals of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the advancement of Persons with disabilities. 

Impact—demonstrates that their efforts to create access into the sport of fencing have resulted in positive outcomes that benefit participants, the community at large, and have a potential to serve as a model for the establishment of other programs or activities.

The winner will receive a $1,000 award to be applied towards any of the following options: 

• Premium Membership, which includes insurance covered under USA Fencing
• Access memberships
• Coach membership(s)