The Dayton Hamvention® is accepting nominations for its 2011 awards. Do you know an outstanding amateur in your club, community or from on-the-air contacts? Does this person excel in some phase of Amateur Radio? Do you feel this person deserves worldwide recognition? Is there an Amateur Radio club that you know of that has an outstanding record of public service? All radio amateurs and Amateur Radio clubs are eligible. The deadline for nominations is January 15, 2011. The winners will be recognized at the 2011 Hamvention, May 20-22.

According to Dayton Hamvention Awards Committee Chairman Frank Beafore, WS8B, these awards are the “Academy Awards of Hamvention. In the past number of years, no matter that the winner was an obscure public servant or a world-renowned astronaut, the humble surprise is always the same: ‘I cannot believe I am a Hamvention award winner!’”

Beafore said that in 2010, the Hamvention Awards Committee introduced a new award -- The Club of the Year -- with great success: “Because of the number of great clubs nominated and their big contributions to the growth of ham radio, we elected to make this award a permanent addition to the Hamvention Awards event.”

The four Hamvention awards are:

• The Amateur of the Year Award -- This award will be given to the special person who has made a long term commitment to the advancement of Amateur Radio. The Hamvention Awards Committee is looking for a well-rounded individual who has contributed to Amateur Radio in some outstanding way.
• The Technical Excellence Award -- This award will be given to the person who has made an outstanding technical advancement in the field of Amateur Radio.
• The Special Achievement Award -- This award honors someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Amateur Radio, usually someone who has spearheaded a significant project.
• The Club of the Year Award -- This award recognizes the accomplishments, activities and public service of an Amateur Radio club.

Awards are decided by the Awards Committee, based partially upon the information received, not the number of nominations submitted.

Documentation is beneficial. Magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper clippings, videos and such will better inform the Awards Committee of your candidate’s accomplishments. These materials become the property of Hamvention and cannot be returned. Nominations may be sent via e-mail (please scan all supporting documents and send them as attachments) or US Mail to Hamvention Awards, PO Box 964, Dayton, OH 45401-0964. Nomination forms for both the individual awards and the club award are available in PDF format. If you send your nomination via e-mail, the Awards Committee requests that you place your name in the subject line of the e-mail.  -- Dayton Hamvention Awards Committee