Call for Honours nominations (New Year 2013)

Do you know someone you could nominate for the New Year 2013 Honours List? 

The honours system recognises the exceptional contribution of members of society across the United Kingdom. It is therefore very important that there is a strong and diverse pool of candidates from Wales. Please consider potential nominees from your organisation and make nominations appropriate to all levels of award.

Protocol

While there are no fixed criteria for honours nominations, nominees are expected to:

- have contributed above and beyond the call of duty;

- be acknowledged as exceptional by their peers and colleagues;

- where possible to have made some kind of wider contribution beyond the requirements of their position; long service is not enough on its own to merit an award; and

- may have an honour and have continued to make an exceptional contribution over and above that previously recognised i.e. only for those who already have an honour.

You will also wish to be aware that as part of the celebrations to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the British Empire Medal (BEM) is to begin to be used once again to recognise deserving candidates. The criteria for BEM candidates is:

Achievement or contribution of a very 'hands-on' service to the community in a local geographical area. This might take the form of sustained commitment in support of very local charitable and/or voluntary activity; or innovative work that has delivered real impact but that is relatively short (three to four years) in duration.

The critical criterion is that candidates should have genuinely added value – either in their local communities or in Wales as a whole or helped to raise the profile of Wales internationally. 

Nominations should be made whilst the nominee is still active and, if possible, at least 12 months before he/she is expected to retire or stand down. In preparing your nominations, it is reasonable to ask other people for information about the candidate, but is essential that all enquiries are handled in strict confidence and in no circumstances should the nominee be told that he/she is under consideration for an honour. The need for discretion when making necessary enquiries is particularly important.

How to find out more

Please contact David Gardiner at the Welsh Government to find out more:

- Email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

- Write to David Gardiner, Local Government and Communities Operations Team, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ

- Telephone (029) 2082 5432

The closing date for nominations is 5 March 2012.