The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce presents The Chattanooga Nautilus Awards, celebrating strength, leadership & courage in women. The purpose of the awards is to honor organizations and individuals providing or advocating for increased opportunities for women of all ages.

Developed by Chamber staff and volunteers, the Nautilus Awards include the Navigator of Entrepreneurship award, the Lightkeeper award and the Pearl of Promise award.

The name of the awards derives from the chambered nautilus, the sea snail or mollusk that forms chambers as it grows. Once a chamber becomes too small for the mollusk, it builds a new, larger chamber and seals off the old. This is repeated throughout the mollusk’s life, resulting in the spiral shape of the shell.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, who wrote the famed Chambered Nautilus poem, "saw the growth of the mollusk and spiral shell as a representation of the intellectual growth of humans. Holmes believed that "eventually, humans outgrow their protective shells completely and discard them when they are no longer necessary."

The nautilus shell is symbolic of the strength, leadership and courage that women must demonstrate in order to succeed in the business world.

The Nautilus Awards recipients along with the ATHENA Award recipient were announced on October 26, 2007 in the Chattanoogan Ballroom, 1102 Broad Street.

For more information contact Christie Kelly at ckelly@chattanoogachamber.com or (423) 763-4366.