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SERA Awards

There are five SERA awards which are given out annually at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. Links to descriptions of each award are below.

Download nomination form.  PDF   Word

 

Revised Guidelines for Selection of SERA Award Winners – Approved 02/18/2006

A separate committee judges each SERA Award, except the SERA Meritorious Service Award, which is awarded by the Governing Committee.  Each committee is made up of five members.  The current SERA Chair is a special member of each committee.  She/he is responsible for appointing the committee and scheduling the meeting.  She/he shall also report the recipient’s name to SERA at the WBM Banquet.  The current Vice Chair is also a special member of each committee.  The Chair and Vice Chair serve each awards committee as Awards Committee Leaders and shall approve the nominations prior to submitting them to the committee.  They are not required to attend the meetings or vote unless the award committee requests assistance.   The remaining three award committee members are “at large members”.  They should be from different grottos and preferably states.  These members serve a three-year term, which ends at the conclusion of the third SERA Winter Business Meeting of their committee membership.  Members may not serve more than one consecutive three-year term on an award committee.  They may, however, be appointed to serve on a different award committee.  Award committee members cannot serve simultaneously on more than one award committee. SERA awards cannot be awarded to members of the same committee.  Committee members cannot nominate for their own committee, however committee members should encourage others to nominate deserving individuals.

 

An award committee can meet at any time during the year.  The final vote is conducted at the SWBM.  The winner will be announced at the SWBM Awards Banquet.   For the dignity of the nominees, Committee members and Awards Committee Leaders should keep nominee names confidential.

If a committee member cannot make the SWBM where the recipient is to be selected, they may:

1.Appoint a proxy, in writing, or by phone call, to the Awards Committee Leaders, to represent them at the committee meeting held at the SWBM.

2.If nothing is heard from the committee member, the SERA Chair may appoint a one time only proxy from SWBM attendees before the meeting of the committee.

 

At the conclusion of the SWBM, the new Chair of SERA will appoint any needed new members for each committee and announce it at the Awards Banquet.  The new committee’s work begins after the SWBM.

Nominations for SERA Awards will be accepted in writing by the Awards Committee Leaders (Chair and Vice Chair) from any SERA caver or SERA organization on a year round basis.  These nominations will be forwarded to the Awards Committee members for review.  The nomination must be completed on an award form available on the SERA web site or by mail from the Awards Committee Leaders.  The Awards Committee Leaders must receive nominations for awards one month before the SERA Winter Business Meeting.  The Awards Committee Leaders are responsible for posting invitations for nominations and the calculated deadline well in advance of the SWBM.  The Awards Committee Leaders will send all accepted nominations to the committee members two weeks prior to the meeting for study and questions.  It is the job of the committee members to verify facts as well as seeking out further knowledge of the nominee.  Nominations may be submitted to the Awards Committee Leaders at the SERA WBM, however, these will be held for consideration during the next year.

Any nominee not that does not win the award will be held over for consideration the next year for a period of two additional years.  These names of nominees shall not be published in national, regional or grotto publications.