City of Wilson - Human Relations Office Awards Policies  

1. All nominees for the Humanitarian of the Year award must be a current resident of Wilson County.
2. All nominees for the Community Service Awards must be a resident, employee or volunteer within Wilson County.
3. Nominations must be made based on volunteer work in Wilson County, not employment or profession. Should the nominations overlap with employment, the documentation must clearly show evidence of going above and beyond job expectations. It is highly recommended to include a letter from an employment supervisor to clarify the volunteer work is separate from professional responsibilities.
4. It is the nominator’s responsibility to provide the nominee’s correctly spelled name and correct address for communication. All correspondence, awards, and printed materials will use the name as provided by the nominator.
5. Only one person per household may be submitted for a nomination. In special circumstances, siblings or spouses may be submitted as a team or duo. If a submission of more than one person per household is truly warranted, it must be approved prior to the award deadline by the Human Relations Director.
6. An individual that receives any Human Relations Award may not be nominated again the following year for the same award. A winning nominee may be nominated for a different award with new information associated within the current calendar year, but must sit out the winning category for one year. The Humanitarian of the Year Award is a life-time achievement award. An individual may not be nominated again once having received the award.
7. Individuals or groups may not be submitted for more than one award by the same nominator.
8. Community organizations, Civic groups, Neighborhood Associations, and other community groups are encouraged to submit at least one nomination, with a limit of two nominations per organization.
9. Incomplete nominations will not be considered. Unsubstantiated or false information will automatically disqualify a nomination.
10. If the nomination does not meet the award qualifications, the nominator will be notified and the nomination will automatically be disqualified.
11. Nominations may not be made posthumously. In the event that a nominee passes after the nomination process, but before the awards celebration is held, the nomination will remain in place and proceed as normal. A presentation can be made on behalf of the nominee to the family or community organization.
12. Nominations may not be submitted by current Human Relations Commissioners or staff members. Commissioners and staff are expected to encourage and promote nominations by other community members.
13. As for Nomination Letters and Letters of Support, these policies must be followed:
    • All letters should be at least one-typed page with details and descriptions of the nominee’s achievements as related to the award. The letters should contain information unique to the individual or group, describing strides made and why recognition is deserved. Assume the selection committee has never heard of the person, organization, program, project, or event and include all details, information and documentation necessary to create a clear understanding of the volunteer work being done and the impact on the community.
    • All letters and the nomination forms must be submitted by the published deadline.
    • All nominations require an original nomination letter with each form and an original signature by the nominator.
    • Additional letters of support may be submitted and will be reviewed.
    • Due to the electronic age and the ease of duplication, each letter of support submitted must be original in content and signed by the author. Duplicate letters will not be accepted.
    • An individual may not self-nominate.
    • Nomination Letters and Letters of Support may be submitted by family members. However, if a nomination is made by a family member, at least one additional support letter must be submitted by a non-family member.
    • A member of a community organization, non-profit, civic group, neighborhood associations, or other community group may nominate the group of which they are a member. However, at least one additional support letter must be submitted by a non-member.
    • Additional materials such as newspaper articles, photographs, program materials, social media postings, handouts, brochures, etc… may be submitted to help provide additional information but are limited to 5 pages.
14. The Human Relations Commission will create an Awards Selection Committee from among its members. The Selection Committee will review all award submissions. The Selection Committee typically identifies one adult, one youth and one group to receive awards. However, the Selection Committee has the discretion to award more or less based on the quality of the submissions. Youth nominations will be reviewed and assessed with those of similar age groups, not adults. The Selection Committee may award no more than 20% of the received submissions and may decide to not bestow awards as deemed appropriate.
15. Award nominees may be released, upon request, but only after the selection process is complete. Award winners are kept confidential and will be announced only during the awards ceremony.
16. All nominations, forms, letters, documentation, and selection committee discussion are kept confidential. Information regarding nominees and award winners will be released at the discretion of the Human Relations Director in accordance with the City of Wilson policies and procedures.

 Questions? Contact the Human Relations Office by calling: 252-399-2308.                                         updated 10/2022