The winners of the 14th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards were announced on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at a sold-out celebration at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY, with nearly 500 attendees in attendance. Now in its 14th year, the Imagine Awards was founded by Ken Cerini, CPA of Cerini & Associates LLP and was created to highlight Long Island’s most innovative and impactful nonprofit organizations and to foster greater collaboration across the sector.
“We continue to sponsor the Imagine Awards Arts & Culture category in honor of our founder’s legacy. Claire Friedlander, a Holocaust survivor, had a deep appreciation of the arts and a keen understanding of the positive effect arts and culture has on a community,” said foundation President Peter J. Klein.
This year, nearly 200 applications were received across six categories: Arts & Culture, Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, and the new Sustainability and Environmental Award. The 24 finalists each received a $1,000 grant courtesy of Diamond Sponsor SterlingRisk Insurance, along with professionally produced spotlight videos showcased during the event.
2026 Long Island Imagine Awards Winners:
Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award
• Cradle of Aviation Museum
Cerini & Associates, LLP Social Impact Award
• ECLI-VIBES
Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award
• Fabiola Turner, Chief Program Officer – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island
Paylocity Bank Innovation Award
• Hair We Share
Sustainability and Environmental Award Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase
• Sisters of Saint Joseph of Brentwood NY
Vanguard Benefits Rising Star Award
• Book Fairies
