CPRS Awards Program

Tips For Submitting Award Entry

The CPRS Awards Program Committee is a volunteer committee comprised of the parks and recreation professionals. The overall Awards Program is divided into sub-categories, each with a Chair or Co-chair. Each Chair or Co-chair is responsible for recruiting judges, based upon their professional expertise, to evaluate each entry.

How Useful is the “Selection Criteria”?

Each year the CPRS Awards Program Committees develops criteria as a basis for rating entries. This criteria is different for each awards category and is not the only factor used to judge an entry. Selection Criteria can be found in the Awards Program Booklet that is mailed to every CPRS member in September.

Tips for Submitting an Award Entry

The CPRS Awards Program is a very competitive process. Most recently, CPRS members have requested tips on how to increase their chances of winning an award. The following is a guide but does not guarantee that your entry will be selected.

  1. Read to the General Awards Information and information specific to the Awards Category in the Awards Program. Following the directions is one key to increasing your chances in being selected.
  2. Call the appropriate Chair of Awards Category whenever you have questions. Questions of a more general nature can be directed to the Awards Program Chair.
  3. Give yourself plenty of time to complete your awards packet.
  4. When making a nomination in the Professional & Service Award Category, honor the nominee by spending the time to gather the necessary data that makes them an outstanding candidate for the award.
  5. Only submit materials that are requested and/or required.
  6. Design your entry packet so that portions of the packet can be dissembled for efficient judging.
  7. Submit quality digital photos that accurately depict your entry. Photos depicting a crowd or many people make it difficult to determine what the applicant wants the judge to evaluate. In addition, should you be selected as an Award of Excellence, a group or crowd photo is not very appealing to an audience.
  8. The Narrative needs to:
    a. Be concise and address specifically the Mandatory Criteria and Selection Criteria.
    b. Use headings whenever feasible to make it easier for the judges to quickly recognize which Selection Criteria you have chosen.
    c. Address the Selection Criteria in the order as it appears in the Awards Program Booklet.
    d. Use a font such as Aerial because it duplicates cleanly and is easier to read than other fonts such as Times Roman, Courier News, Bookman Style, etc.
    e. Adhere to the maximum word or page limit. Word® does have a Word Count feature. Go to Tools, and click on Word Count. If more than one page is submitted, include on the additional pages a header with the following: Agency, Award Category, Page Number and Program name.
    f. Be typed in a 12-point font. This is a requirement.
    g. To address one or all of the core values of mission of parks and recreation if the Selection Criteria refers to “Mission of Parks & Recreation.” See Page 1 of the Awards Program.
  9. Have someone in your agency, another park and recreation professional, or someone who has no knowledge of the program/activity to review your entry. They should review for content, clarity, grammar and spelling. Have them review your Awards Application and Entry Checklist form as well.
  10. If you have attachments, it is suggested to have a table of contents and label the Attachments such as Attachment A, Attachment B, or you may want to select the words Exhibit A, Exhibit B. When including attachments, place them at the end of the narrative and in order as they are addressed in your narrative.
  11. Keep one copy of your entry since the Awards Program Chair or CPRS will not return your entry.
  12. Adhere to requirements of the “Submit” section in each Awards Category. Failure to do so will result in your entry being disqualified.
  13. Refer to the Awards Application on Page 13 and Awards Checklist on Page 12 of the Awards Program Booklet. Failure to sign and submit a complete Awards Application and Entry Checklist will result in disqualification.
  14. Ensure that your Agency Contact is familiar with the entry packet submitted and is willing to be responsible as the agency contact should your entry be selected as an award winner.