Achievement Awards Eligibility and Nomination Guidelines

To position your nominee for success, please review the following eligibility and nomination guidelines before submitting an award nomination.

Eligibility

Achievement Awards submissions are for accomplishments demonstrated for at least one year prior to the time of nomination.
The nominating nonprofit agency must be affiliated with SourceAmerica.
The nominating nonprofit agency must be in compliance with SourceAmerica guidelines and standards.
If a nonprofit agency won an Achievement Award in 2021 in a specific category, the agency may not submit a nomination for the the same award in that category for 2022.
SourceAmerica Board and NCSE Executive Committee representatives and organizations are eligible to receive Achievement Awards but are ineligible for any financial prize.
For 2022, SourceAmerica staff and leadership may also submit nominations in two categories: Business Partnership Award and Innovation Award.

See what you need to begin:

First, review award criteria to ensure your nomination is in the appropriate category.
Nonprofit agencies may nominate in as many award categories as desired; however, only one nomination may be submitted per award category.
Each submission must contain an essay (one-page, single spaced) explaining the reason(s) for nominating an exemplary employee, business partner, or nonprofit agency.
Up to three supporting documents may also be included with each submission, such as news articles, letters of recommendation, videos, etc.
Start and complete your nomination ahead of the submission deadline.

Tips for writing a stellar essay:

Take a look at this sample essay before you begin to write.
Carefully review nomination form questions and essay requirements for your award category.
Draft an outline to guide the writing of your essay.
Identify and collect the supporting documents you wish to submit along with your essay.
Make your essay stand out by including specific examples of your nominee’s accomplishments, results, and impact.
State if the nomination is for work on an AbilityOne contract.
Use "People First" language:
- People first language defines the person before the disability.
- For example, use the term "people with disabilities", not the "disabled" or "handicapped".
Correct spelling and grammar are appreciated by our judges.

Submit your nomination:

Review your essay and supporting documents before you enter them into the online nomination form.
Changes cannot be made once a nomination has been submitted, even if it's submitted before the deadline.
After you've entered all required information, click the Submit button and you'll receive a confirmation of your submission.
Should you not receive a confirmation, please email AchievementAwards@SourceAmerica.org.