The Connecticut Foundation for Open Government is now accepting nominations for its second-annual Mitchell W. Pearlman Freedom of Information Award.

Nominees can be local or state officials who have been champions of open access to public information or journalists or residents of the state who have used the state Freedom of Information Act to obtain government information and inform the public or their communities about government action.

Pearlman, of Glastonbury, was the first executive director of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Commission and served in that role for 30 years. He has been recognized as an international expert on government transparency, information policy, electronic information issues, privacy and data protection, freedom of the press and administrative law.

Nominations can be submitted online at https://bit.ly/Pearlman2023, or the form can be printed, filled out and mailed to the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, c/o David Fink, 66 Linbrook Road, West Hartford, CT 06107 by Aug. 1. It can also be sent by email to David at dpaulfink@gmail.com by the same date. People can nominate themselves or others.

A committee of members of the CFOG board of directors will choose the recipient(s) of the award, whom will be honored at a reception this fall.