AWARD PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The British Columbia Reconciliation Award recognizes individuals, groups and organizations who demonstrate exceptional leadership, integrity, respect, and commitment to furthering the Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s report; and/or inspired others to do so.
WHY NOMINATE
The award program provides an opportunity to publicly acknowledge the work of those individuals, groups and organizations committed to furthering the principles of reconciliation in British Columbia.
DATES TO REMEMBER
November 15 – Official Call for Nominations begins
January 31 – Nominations CLOSE
Summer – Awardees ANNOUNCED
Winter – Award Presentation Ceremony
The completed nomination form and all materials must be by submitted by January 31 @ 11:59 p.m. for the nomination to be considered.
Save and Continue Later - If you don’t have all the information on hand, click on the ‘Save and Continue Later’ button at the bottom of the online nomination form – you will be prompted to enter your email and will receive a link that you can access and complete your nomination prior to the deadline.
CHECKLIST - BEFORE YOU START
- Review the REC Nomination Guide with tips for submitting a compelling nomination
- Ensure the nominator and nominee meet the eligibility criteria
- Prepare the Nominator Statement, Outcomes & Impact Statement in a word document, then copy and paste the content into the required field; use bullet points and leave a line between points
- Have all nominator and nominee contact information
- Have all documents ready to upload
- Schedule 15-20 minutes to complete the form
NOMINATOR ELIGIBLITY
Any person, group or organization may submit nominations for the award with exceptions noted below:
- Current members of the jury panel, or members of the jury panel’s immediate family may not submit a nomination
- BC Achievement board members may not submit a nomination
- Family members (e.g., parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins) may not submit a nomination
NOMINEE ELIGIBILITY
An eligible nominee must:
- Have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to furthering the principles of reconciliation in BC
- Have resided in British Columbia for at least three years; or be a former long-term resident; or a British Columbia-based group or organization
An eligible nominee may be:
- A sitting federal, provincial or municipal representative
- A Chief or other members of a governing body of an Indigenous nation
- A self-nomination for a group or organization
A person may receive the award posthumously only if the jury panel has recommended the nomination to the Lieutenant Governor before the nominee’s passing.
The following are ineligible to receive the Award:
- Self-nomination by an individual
- Posthumous nominations
- Past recipients*
- BC Achievement board members
- Current members of the jury panel or members of the jury panel’s immediate family
- Members of the judiciary
*Visit BC Achievement’s Awardees webpage to see if your nominee is a past recipient of the award.
Nominations of any individual under the age of 19 must be accompanied by a letter of permission from the nominee’s parent or guardian stating that they are aware of the nomination.
SELECTION OF AWARDEES
The independent jury panel for the BC Reconciliation Award includes representation by Indigenous Elders and BC First Nations leadership. The jury panel reviews the nominations and selects the awardees. The decision of the jury panel is final. Nominees are notified only if selected for an award. The BC Reconciliation Award is awarded by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of the jury panel.
RECOGNITION
Award recipients receive a commemorative certificate plaque signed and presented by the Lieutenant Governor and BC Achievement Board Member, the BC Achievement medallion and lapel pin designed by renowned First Nations artist, Robert Davidson, OC, OBC, and artwork created by the Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist in First Nations Art. The awards shall be presented to the recipients as arranged by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
HOW TO NOMINATE / APPLY
Click here to download the REC Nomination Guide with tips on submitting a compelling nomination.
The nominator must complete the online Nomination form and include the following:
- Nominator name & contact information
- Nominee name & contact information
- Nominator Statement (max. 3000 characters incl. space or approx. 500 words)
- Outcomes & Impact Statement
- Two support letters from two separate individuals other than the nominator
- Additional Materials – optional, but strongly recommended (up to 5 items max.)
Additional Materials – optional, but strongly recommended
- Include materials such as the nominee’s biography, letters of support, links* to articles, recorded testimonials, YouTube videos, photos, website links, etc.
- A maximum of five items will be accepted
- Jury members will review up to 10 pages total and five minutes of video
*Each link submitted is considered one additional material.
UPDATING A NOMINATION
To update a nomination:
- Click on the link for the nomination form
- Select ‘yes’ to the question ‘Is this an update to a previous nomination?’
- Include the year the nomination was first submitted
- Complete the online nomination form and include updated information & materials about your nominee
Nominations are valid for three years including the first year of nomination and two subsequent years.
Nominators are strongly encouraged to update their nomination for consideration by the following year's jury panel if their nominee was not recognized in the previous year’s awardee cohort.
We are happy to send the documents previously submitted for your nominee. Please email info@bcachievement.com to make your request.
All updates should be submitted by January 31 @ 11:59 PM
PRIVACY POLICY
BC Achievement is committed to protecting the privacy of people through responsible management of information received. Nominations are kept confidential between the nominator and BC Achievement.
Photographs and information about the award recipients may be used for the promotion of the award program and other promotional activities (i.e., on BC Achievement’s website, social media channels, in media releases etc.).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Can information be saved on the nomination form and completed at a later date?
Yes. If you don’t have all the information on hand, click on the ‘Save and Continue Later’ button at the bottom of the online nomination form – you will be prompted to enter your email and will receive a link that you can access and complete your nomination prior to the deadline.
2. To whom should support letters be addressed?
Support letters should be addressed to the ‘Jury Panel’. All support letters must be signed by the writer and include their contact information.
3. What should be stated in the support letter?
The support letter should indicate the relationship between the writer and the nominee and the length of the relationship; provide details about the writer’s knowledge of the nominee’s contributions and their commitment to furthering reconciliation; and be specifically written for the BC Reconciliation Award program.
4. Can more than two support letters be submitted?
Other support letters may be submitted as 'additional materials'. A maximum of five items (10 pages total and five minutes of video) will be accepted. These five items may also include biography, curriculum vitae, links to articles, video or recorded testimonials, links to YouTube videos, photos etc.
5. Are congratulatory letters from other programs accepted in the nomination?
Other congratulatory letters may be included as 'additional materials' but they may not serve as support letters.
6. Is a nomination considered for more than one year?
Nominations begin a three-year program and may be reviewed by up to three juries. Nominators are given the opportunity to update their nomination each year prior to review by the current year's jury panel.
7. Should the nominator tell the nominee about the nomination?
Generally, the nominee is not told of the nomination. It is up to the discretion of the nominator whether or not to inform the nominee about the nomination.
8. When are the awardees notified and where are the names of the awardees published?
Awardees will be notified following the deliberations of the jury panel. Their names will be announced through the Lieutenant Governor's and BC Achievement’s respective media channels.
