The Berger-Marks Foundation will honor a young woman leader with its Edna Award. The $10,000 award recognizes a young woman whose leadership in the social justice movement has already fueled social change.

“With the Edna Award, the Berger-Marks Foundation is expanding its commitment to young women. We want to spotlight their important contributions to social justice,” says Linda Foley, president of the foundation and former Newspaper Guild-CWA president. She added:

Women are organizing unions; women are leading campaigns for universal health care; and women are demonstrating to young people what social justice means. Our vision for this award is to highlight one young woman’s remarkable work for social change.

The award is named after Edna Berger, the foundation’s namesake and an early organizer at the Newspaper Guild-CWA. The foundation is accepting application online here. The deadline is July 15. You may nominate yourself or be nominated by others.

Applicants must be age 35 or younger on December 31, 2011. The Berger-Marks Foundation, named for Berger and her husband, composer Edward Marks, seeks to bring to women the benefits of unionization through training, research and other resources.

“The Berger-Marks Foundation and the Edna Award honor the vision of a social justice movement where all workers have an opportunity to lead,” says AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler.