Chaz Ebert Launches National Awards to Honor Acts of Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness as Siskel & Ebert Approaches 50th Anniversary

The FECK Awards spotlight the power of everyday heroes and bold visionaries who elevate humanity through action, proving that compassion and kindness aren’t just ideals, but powerful forces reshaping lives and communities

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chaz Ebert—CEO of RogerEbert.com, humanitarian, film producer, and wife of the late Pulitzer Prize-winner Roger Ebert—today announced that nominations are officially open for the inaugural FECK Awards, a groundbreaking new initiative celebrating individuals and organizations who elevate humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness. Inspired by her 2024 book, It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity Through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness, the FECK Awards bring to life Ebert’s vision of spotlighting those who act with courage, compassion, and heart to mend divisions and spark ripples of kindness in their communities.

The announcement comes as Chicago prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Siskel & Ebert, the iconic film review show that helped define modern film discourse. “It’s incredible to see how Roger and Gene’s legacy continues to inspire,” said Chaz Ebert. “Through film, we learned to see the world through others’ eyes. The FECK Awards carry that same spirit, highlighting people who act with empathy, forgiveness, compassion, and kindness in everyday life.”

Nominations are now open to individuals and organizations across the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec), including nonprofits, businesses, community groups, and cultural institutions. One individual or organization will be honored in each of the four FECK categories: Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness.

Submissions can be made online at giveafeck.com/awards through December 1, 2025. Entrants will provide contact information, select a FECK category, and share a brief description of how their nominee embodies one or more FECK principles. Photos and/or a short video may also be submitted. Winners will be honored on April 4, 2026, a day previously celebrated as the Day4Empathy.

“In a time of deep division, we need reminders of what’s possible,” said Ebert. “These awards are my love letter to those who show, through action, that humanity still matters, goodness still wins, and when we give a FECK, we can change the world.”

For more details and to submit a nomination, go to giveafeck.com/awards.

For sponsors interested in supporting the FECK Awards, please reach out to [e-mail] to learn more.

About Chaz Ebert
Chaz Ebert is the CEO of Ebert Digital LLC, publisher of the preeminent movie review site RogerEbert.com; TV and movie producer at Ebert Productions; and author of the indie best-seller It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity Through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness. For twenty-four years, she shared a life with Pulitzer Prize-winner Roger Ebert. In their work to foster empathy through cinema, they established the Ebertfest Film Festival and the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Chaz has passionately continued to lead all events while nurturing film critics, filmmakers, and technologists. She awards the Golden Thumb and Ebert Humanitarian Awards to filmmakers who exhibit an unusually compassionate view of the world. In 2025 she instituted the inaugural FECK Awards.