Purpose

The purpose of the Special Recognition Awards Program is to encourage individuals and chapters to support and promote their organizations.

Eligibility

All applicants must be in good standing with Business Professionals of America. The awards are open to members in the Middle Level, Post-Secondary and Secondary Divisions.

Submission

Special Recognition Award applications except Merit Scholar, Professional Cup and Membership Explosion must be submitted utilizing the online application. Submission applications must include all activity descriptions. Partial applications will not be accepted or combined. Do not begin the application online submission form until you have completed all activities. The Merit Scholar exam is offered at the National Leadership Conference. The Professional Cup and Membership Explosion Award are determined on a national level based on the qualifications provided. Applications due April 1.

Qualification Period

BPA Marketing and Public Relations, Chapter Activities Award of Excellence, Social Media and The Professional Cup: Activities completed between April 2, 2017 and April 1, 2018 (11:59 PM EST) can be counted towards these awards. Recruiter of the Year and Membership Explosion Award: Activities completed between August 31, 2017 and February 15, 2018 (11:59 PM EST) can be counted toward these awards.

General Guidelines

Applicants may only count activities once in the BPA Cares Award Program, except Service Learning Individual and Chapter Activities Award of Excellence. Chapters may complete more than one activity to equal the total number of hours/dollars. Activity descriptions cannot exceed 500 words in total. Activities may include but are not limited to promotional displays, exam based awards, recruiting events and/or social media activities. All activity descriptions must include title, project details, date project completed, location of the project and description of the project. NO E-MAIL OR MAIL APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. All materials submitted become the property of Business Professionals of America and may be used as the National Center deems appropriate. It is not necessary for a chapter or individual to attend the National Leadership Conference to participate in the program and receive the award, except Merit Scholar. DO NOT SEND ANY AWARD APPLICATION(S) AS PART OF ANOTHER APPLICATION. AWARDS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED WITH TECHNICAL PROJECTS FOR COMPETITIVE EVENTS. EACH AWARD MUST BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY.

Recognition

BPA Marketing & Public Relations: Chapters completing the minimum number of activities will receive a Certificate of Achievement. Chapters completing five (5) or more activities will receive an Award of Achievement and recognition on-stage at the National Leadership Conference. Merit Scholar: Participants achieving 90% or more on the Open Exam offered at NLC will receive a BPA Merit Scholar pin during the Awards Session at the National Leadership Conference. Chapter Activities Award of Excellence: A plaque will be presented to each qualifying chapter. Recruiter of the Year Award: Approved applicants will receive a Certificate of Achievement. Each year the applicant with the most recruiter points in their Division will be recognized with a plaque as National Recruiter of the Year at a General Session during the National Leadership Conference. Social Media: Chapters who complete a minimum of four (4) activities will receive a Certificate of Achievement. The top chapter in each Division completing the most activities will receive an Award of Achievement and recognition on-stage at the National Leadership Conference. The Professional Cup: The award will be presented on stage at the National Leadership Conference. It will consist of a plaque for the state association to keep and the Professional Cup trophy with the state association's name and the year it was won engraved on a 10-year engraving plate. The Professional Cup trophy will be in the winning state association's possession for one year starting from the last day of the National Leadership Conference until the next National Leadership Conference, where it will be presented to the next winning state association. After the tenth year, the trophy will be retired and presented to the state within each Division who won the award the most times during the ten years. Membership Explosion Award: Chapters with the minimum increase will receive a Certificate of Achievement. The top overall chapter in each division with the highest number growth will receive an Award of Achievement and recognition on-stage at the National Leadership Conference and the overall top chapter in each division with the highest percentage growth will receive an Award of Achievement and recognition on-stage at the National Leadership Conference.

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Non-Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of Business Professionals of America that no person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability shall be discriminated against, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to, discrimination in any program or activity for which it is responsible.