Before you fill the Jersey honours nomination form, you should us to discuss your nomination.
We can give you advice to help you complete the form in the most appropriate way and increase your chances of success.
Who can be nominated
You should nominate someone who:
- is head and shoulders above their peers
- has made a difference or brought added value to the world they work
- is an innovator with a sound record of achievement
- is really changing things such as a mover, shaker and doer
- has done a real achievement
- has given outstanding service to others
- has sustained a remarkable performance against difficult local circumstances
- has made a particular contribution to a special project or a local, regional or national initiative
- might be classed as a highly respected role model or exemplar of good practice in their particular area
- has contributed over and above what might be expected when compared to others within their field
In all cases, it’s essential that those nominated should carry the respect of their peers and be seen by them as deserving.
These are all criteria your nomination will be considered against for eligibility.
When you should nominate someone
Try to avoid leaving nominations until near retirement.
There is now emphasis on recognising people earlier in their careers, while they are still in the thick of things so that they can wear their ‘badges’ with pride. You can still nominate deserving candidate if they’re near their retirement.
Honours is a highly competitive area. Since awards made following retirement are rare, it increases a candidate’s likely chance of success if you make their initial nomination well before their retirement.
In general terms, if the nominee is retiring from the principal activity that gave rise to their nomination, then they’ll only be considered for inclusion on a list within 6 months of retirement.
Completing the nomination form
The nomination should fit onto no more than 2 pages (A4), ideally between 300 to 600 words.
Your nominee will be in competition with many other such nominations.
For your nomination to have any real chance of success, the citation must:
- be as strong as possible
- really bring out the achievements of the candidate
Keep in mind that the citation is the basis of your nomination.
It’s only you as the proposer who has enough knowledge to present a really convincing case and do your candidate proper justice.
In the Jersey honours nomination form, provide:
- date of birth using the format DD/MM/YY
- total length of service rounded to the nearest full year
- length of service in present appointment rounded to the nearest full year
- private home address and telephone number, give the full home address including postcode. Include a telephone number when available, ideally a mobile number
Top tips when making your candidate’s case for an honour
The long citation is the key part of the nomination form. It is the ‘business case’ for an honour.
Like any business case, the more convincing it is and the better is your chance of success. It needs to cover a number of areas and will be assessed on the robustness of the evidence you provide.
All nominations will be considered by the Jersey Honours and Awards Committee. They may have no personal knowledge of your candidate or their achievements.
Each committee will look to the nomination to provide evidence of:
Merit and Excellence
Include:
- how and why the candidate’s service and contribution are exceptional
- what specifically they have done and how it marks them out from others
- how and in what ways they have gone the extra mile, above and beyond that reasonably expected or paid for
Any special achievements
Provide information and details of any special achievements they have.
How and in what ways has the candidate made a real difference
Include details of the:
- impact of their activities
- importance of their work to the community at large
- added value they have brought to the work in which they work
How and why they stand out
This can be as head and shoulders above their colleagues or the best in their field.
Detail if:
- they are role models, highly respected or exemplars of best practice in their field
- colleagues or the public will see an honour as truly deserved
A sustained contribution
Include details of their sustained contribution. Unless your candidate is nominated for a specific or set of outstanding achievements over a shorter period.
Dos and don’ts
Remember the following dos and don’ts on how to write your candidate’s case for an honour.
Do:
- try to ensure that the nomination fits onto no more than 2 pages (A4), ideally between 300 to 600 words
- use plain English and short unambiguous sentences
- present numbers one to nine in words. 10 and above in numbers
- spell out the names of an organisation when first used, then use the abbreviation
- round monetary sums, for example £4m not £4 million
- use title case for published material, performances and names of ships such as The Wind in the Willows
- remember that the long citation is the case for an honour. It should give a full and rounded but accurate and honest picture of why the candidate deserves an honour
- aim for an opening sentence that summarises the person’s achievements or contribution in a way likely to capture the interest of the Honours Committee
- concentrate on the key reasons why you think your candidate deserves an honour
- highlight your candidate’s personal contribution referring to substantial examples of their achievements or service and the impact of their activities. Don’t just detail dates and roles within committees
- mention if any officials in other organisations or agencies would support the nomination
- include details of any work the candidate does for voluntary bodies
- follow the candidate’s contribution as chronologically as possible and include dates if they are known
Don’t:
- waste space by using paragraphs or repeating your candidate’s name, he or she is fine
- include information about their education and early career, unless relevant to the case
- list the posts held by your candidate without an indication of their special contribution to them
- overuse superlatives. If using exceptional or outstanding, justify it
- include unsubstantiated or doubtful information
- mention disabilities or difficult home circumstances, unless it has a direct bearing on the case
- include text that fails to add anything new to what you have already said
- use abbreviations unless universally known, such as BBC or UK
- use capital letters unless warranted
- include quotation marks, acronyms, italics, underlined or bold text
Final review and checks
Once you have written your candidate’s case, re-read it and ask yourself:
- exactly why you’re nominating this person
- what have they done to deserve an honour
- why nominating them now
Your case isn’t strong enough if what you’ve written doesn’t clearly and persuasively:
- answer these questions
- provide the necessary evidence
Think about how you can improve your case and how you can get any missing information. The Chief of Staff at Government House can advise you about this.