The annual SEG awards are an opportunity to honor those whose contributions to the profession are exceptional. It is a great pleasure for the SEG to present these awards, and a very satisfying event for those who receive them. All SEG members are encouraged to contribute to a rich and diverse pool of recipients by submitting nominations.
Among the commitments that one makes upon being installed as SEG President-Elect is serving on the SEG Honors and Awards Committee for five years immediately after completing a year as SEG President. The Honors and Awards Committee makes recommendations annually in April to the SEG Board, which makes the final decisions on awards that are presented at the SEG Annual Meeting.
The Honors and Awards Committee’s deliberations are based on nominations that nominators send to the SEG Office by the end of December each year. The Committee meets several times during the January-April time frame. The guidelines below are not necessarily rigid nor all-inclusive, but the Committee hopes they will be helpful to those wanting to nominate deserving SEG members for awards.
- Any SEG member can nominate other SEG members for SEG awards. However, seldom is an award made on the basis of one or two nomination letters. Similarly, multiple support letters that have identical or almost identical wording dilute the strength of a nominee’s dossier. Several heartfelt substantive support letters make honoring an individual much easier for the Committee. If you know someone who is truly deserving, gather additional support to help ensure the nomination can be evaluated fairly by Committee members who may not know the nominee nor her/his accomplishments.
- Self-nominations or nomination campaigns that are instigated or promoted by a nominee are discouraged. However, supplying information to help the nominators in the form of publications, achievements, and an up-to-date curriculum vitae or resume’ is helpful and makes the accuracy of information much easier for the Committee to confirm.
- Nomination letters should clearly state for which award the nominee should be considered. Award descriptions are readily available on the SEG website. The more closely the nomination matches the relevant award description, the easier it is for the Committee to evaluate the nominations. Single-sentence unsupported nominations are not helpful.
- The Committee will consider nominees for the award for which they are submitted, but has some flexibility to move nominees to other award categories as seems prudent. The Committee will not solicit additional letters on behalf of a nominee, but rather decides each case based on the material submitted.
- The Committee’s deliberations are confidential, and Committee members generally recuse themselves from deliberations involving nominees with whom they have a close personal or professional relationship.
These guidelines were provided by the 2018-2019 Honors and Awards Committee.