Nomination Instructions

The following instructions are intended to assist those who wish to nominate a candidate for the Admirals’ Medal:

Nominations are to be submitted in a Microsoft word, PDF or other common format using the template available on the NAC Website. Ensure all the details required by the template are included.

Familiarize yourself with the Selection Criteria for the Admirals’ Medal, found on the Naval Association of Canada Website. Relate your candidate’s achievements to the criteria established for the award. Make sure that your nomination is as complete as possible.

Explain the context and impact of the candidate’s achievements (ie, vision, executive action, marine technology, navigation and exploration, historical research, publications, etc). In other words, tell the Committee how he or she fits into the scheme of things. For example, instead of saying that the candidate “has been involved in” a certain line of endeavour, explain what that involvement was, and its significance to maritime/naval affairs.

Include some published/publicly available information on your candidate, but do not make it your sole statement in support of your nomination. Your justification is important.

Avoid the use of acronyms. For example, that your candidate was “2ic of DND’s ABC project before moving to BFC,” or that s/he “developed AIO for BC,” may well be facts, but the statements obscure the nature and significance of the work.

Be precise in your nomination. “xxxxxx devoted his/her career to inventing some interesting maritime technology” certainly communicates your appreciation of your candidate’s achievements. However, the insight doesn’t really explain what they have done to merit the award.

Summarize in one or two sentences your candidate’s qualification for the award in a statement that could be used as a citation (ie, “…has made major contributions to the fields of…by inventing/ discovering/ researching/ developing/ creating…”)

Additional Notes:

Senior leadership of the RCN and the Canadian Coast Guard will be encouraged to be involved in the nomination process. As a collective, whether as the Naval Board or another body, they are well placed to be aware of significant contributions to Canada’s marine sector by individuals in industry, or the academic and research fields, or by serving members. The Commander RCN and Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard will be encouraged to submit one or more names annually for consideration.

Annual presentation of the medal will be made at a significant event in the calendar. If possible, the presentations will be made by a senior executive of the NAC (e.g. National President or Vice President) in company with a serving flag officer or equivalent Coast Guard officer at a NAC event such as the NAC’s Battle of the Atlantic Dinner, Annual Conference, AGM, Branch event or other high-profile setting. This would be tangible demonstration of importance of the recipient to Canada’s marine sector, reinforce links between the Navy and NAC, and raise awareness of the Admirals’ Medal among NAC members and the public.