You can find the nomination forms online at www.spe.org/awards. There, you can quickly fill in a form and submit it, but will it have what it takes for your candidate to win?
A good nomination is key to communicating the qualifications of your candidate to the award committee. Preparing a good nomination requires time and effort. You may know your candidate is the best, but you must be able to communicate why they should be selected as the winner. Award committees count on you, the nominator, to provide the information they need to select the best candidate to win.
- You should start early. A nomination written at the last minute to beat the deadline will probably be full of errors and omissions. It won’t present your candidate in the best light.
- Try working with a team of colleagues. Capitalize on their skills. Someone can research, someone can write, someone can contact colleagues for letters of reference. You get the idea.
- Research the award to see if your candidate is a good match. Review the requirements. Look at past award winners. Each award has different requirements. Before you select the award, ask yourself:
Is there an age requirement?
Is it a technical or a service award?
Is my candidate’s work global or regional?
- Research your candidate. Outline your potential candidate’s qualifications, comparing them side by side to the award criteria. Once the information is outlined, you will find it easier to compose the nomination.
- Write the summary statement briefly outlining why your candidate should receive the award. Write several paragraphs that give specific examples of your candidates work that support your summary statement. These two required elements are the main substance of your nomination. Allow yourself time to give these plenty of attention. Be complete but succinct. Enlist a colleague to review and edit.
- Complete the rest of the form. Professional history, other accomplishments, 5 publications and additional information are optional, but they help the judges get a complete picture of your candidate.
When all the research and writing is complete, go to www.spe.org/awards to submit the nomination before the 15 February deadline. With research and effective writing to communicate with the award committee, you will give your candidate the best chance in the very competitive SPE awards.