IMPACT Awards – Call for Nominations Extended!
HND is seeking nominations for our 2019 IMPACT Awards. Nominees can be local, national, or international. They can be any age and from all walks of life … as long as they are making an impact in the Hmong community and are helping to move our community forward. All nominees must meet at least three of the following six criteria:
I-M-P-A-C-T
Innovation – The individual is a trailblazer in their field/sector and is doing something that has never been done before that is advancing the Hmong community.
Mentorship – The individual cultivates leadership and mentors others in the Hmong community in preparation to rise into positions that will effect change.
Proven Integrity – The individual has demonstrated a deep moral commitment to ethical behavior and has proven this in the face of difficult situations.
Advocacy – The individual creates awareness and speaks out on issues important to the Hmong community and represents the underrepresented.
Culture – The individual honors and promotes the richness of Hmong culture, language and heritage.
Transcending Barriers – The individual bridges barriers across generations, races, cultures, genders, sexualities, or more in order to engage diverse communities and identify and implement solutions to pressing issues.
Once all nominations have been received, a selection committee will choose 10 nominees with the highest scores, and you will be invited to cast your vote for one of the nominees. Five winners will then be selected and honored at the HNDC19 Leadership Banquet on Saturday, April 20, 2019.
The deadline to nominate an individual has been extended to Friday, February 15, 2019, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Eligibility Criteria
- Individuals cannot self-nominate. They must be nominated by another person.
- Nominees can be any age.
- Nominees do not have to be residents of the United States. They can be from anywhere in the world, but they must be available to travel to and attend the 19th HND Conference from April 19-21, 2019, in San Jose, CA.
- Nominees do not have to be Hmong. We acknowledge that there are non-Hmong individuals who have taken tremendous steps to advance our community, and we welcome nominations for these individuals.
- Nominees can come from any background and education level. They might be a teacher, a lawyer, a professor, a mother, a farmer, a factory worker, a businesswoman, a stay-at-home dad, etc. There are people making an impact on the Hmong community at all levels of education, background, and experience. You don’t have to have a degree to make an impact; you just have to have the courage to effect change.
- Individuals may not be a current HND staff member, board member, or member of the IMPACT Award Review Committee.
Nomination Process
- If you are nominating someone, please review the attached application form and submit all required information via the online registration form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HNDC19Impactaward
- You must also submit required photos by the new deadline: Friday, February 15, 2019, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
- If you have any questions while completing the nomination form, please contact one of our IMPACT Award co-chairs at info@hndinc.org or via phone: Pao Yang at (559) 718-9166 or May Gnia Her at (559) 224-7613.
Selection, Scoring, & Online Voting Process
- HND will award 5 HND IMPACT Awards to the nominees with the highest final scores.
- After all submissions are collected, a selection committee comprised of HND staff, HND Board Members, and a national review committee will review and score submissions for how well nominees meet the IMPACT criteria.
- No more than 10 nominees with the highest scores will be featured on HND’s website and Facebook page, and online voting will take place for one week for the public to vote for the person they think should receive an HND IMPACT Award.
- The number of online votes will account for 30% of the final score in the selection of the top five nominees. The other 70% will come from the final scores of the review committee.
- The top five nominees with the highest total score from both online voting and the review committee will be honored with an HND IMPACT Award at the 19th HND Conference’s Leadership Banquet.
IMPACT Award Benefits
The five recipients of the HND IMPACT Award will be honored and recognized in the following ways:
- Presented with an HND IMPACT Award at the HND Conference Leadership Banquet; anticipated audience of 600+ people, including key leaders in the Hmong community from across the nation, invited elected officials and more;
- Invited to give a brief acceptance speech at the Leadership Banquet;
- Invited to a meet-and-greet with HND Board Members, Conference keynote speakers, invited elected officials, and other VIPs;
- Featured in press coverage highlighting the HND IMPACT Award winners, including local media as well as national ethnic/Hmong media;
- Featured in the HND Conference program, distributed to over 1,000 attendees
- Featured on the HND website;
- Complementary admission to the HND Conference and Leadership Banquet for the Award winner and one guest;
- One complementary hotel room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in San Jose for Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, 2019.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
To nominate someone for an HND IMPACT Award, please review the attached application form and submit all required information via the online registration form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HNDC19Impactaward
- Your Completed Online Nomination Form should include:
- Biography – A brief biography of your nominee (under 200 words)
- Photographs – Up to three high-resolution photos that capture the essence of your nominee, including one headshot
- Bio and photographs may be used in HNDC programming or marketing
- Three criteria in which nominee has made an impact
- Three short answers to the matching criteria
- List two references and their contact information
- References must be able to speak to the three criteria the nominee is being nominated for
- Cannot be a family member or relative
- Cannot be the same person who is nominating the individual
When the online nomination form is complete, please email three photographs to info@hndinc.org with the subject heading, “HND IMPACT Award Nomination.” Remember to include the name of your nominee in the email.
The extended submission DEADLINE is Friday, February 15, 2019, 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Early submissions are highly encouraged. If you have any questions while completing the nomination form, please contact one of our IMPACT Award co-chairs at info@hndinc.org or via phone: Pao Yang at (559) 718-9166 or May Gnia Her at (559) 224-7613.
Suggestions to Help You Craft a Nomination
Use concrete examples
When answering the nomination questions, use clear examples from the nominee’s life and work that prove how they have gone above and beyond to create an impact.
What makes this person unique?
What makes your nominee special? What specific accomplishment(s) has he or she achieved that is truly remarkable in the Hmong community? How has his or her work impacted and moved the Hmong community forward?
How have they advanced the Hmong community?
On what level has their impact been made: local, state, regional, national, global?
What type of adversity have they faced?
What challenges or difficult circumstances has this person faced, and how did they respond in those situations that bettered the lives of themselves and those around them?
How have you observed their impact?
How have you seen this person grow, change or develop? How has their work impacted you? Take your time to write a powerful statement. What you share is a critical factor in advancing a nomination for further consideration. A last-minute nomination that is poorly written reflects poorly upon the nominee. Have others review the nomination and give you feedback to best portray how amazing your nominee is in real life.