The Sierra Club is once again searching for outstanding nominees for the
Goldman Environmental Prize, also known as the "Nobel Prize for the
Environment." The issues that prize winners address are diverse, from
protecting rivers and forests, to working to stop toxic industries in
disadvantaged communities, to assisting indigenous people in preserving
their environments and traditional ways of life. Each winner receives an
award stipend of $125,000. For more information visit www.goldmanprize.org<http://www.goldmanprize.org/>.
SIERRA CLUB
2008 GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE NOMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
Deadline Friday, April 20, 2007
Thank you for serving as a Sierra Club nominator for the Goldman
Environmental Prize. Goldman Prize staff relies heavily on its nominators
to identify appropriate nominees for the Goldman Prize. The information you
submit in your nomination is the sole determinant as to whether Goldman
Prize staff will research the nomination further. To ensure that your
nominee fits the profile of a possible Goldman Prize recipient, please
refer to the guidelines/criteria (p. 5) that staff and jury members use in
selecting Prize recipients.
IMPORTANT: Prior to submitting your nomination, please contact Stephen
Mills ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or 202-675-6691) with the name(s) of
the individual(s) you intend to nominate.
Nomination instructions change each year, so please use the following
format for your nomination. Nominations should be typed and must include
the information indicated under all of the following headings.
1. Identification of Nominee
Include the full name (with last name underlined or in bold), street
address, city and country, home and work telephone numbers, fax
number/s and email and web addresses if available. Please note any
alternate names by which they may have been known (married names,
nicknames, alternate spellings of names translated from non-Roman
scripts, etc.).
2. Identification of Nominator/Researcher
Please include your own name, address, and telephone number. Include
fax and email address. Please indicate the date of the nomination as
well.
3. Short Summary of Environmental Achievement (no more than four
sentences)
4. Detailed Description of Recent Environmental Achievement (three pages
in 12pt font)
Describe the outstanding environmental achievement of the nominee, with
a focus on current accomplishments. Please include specific dates of
accomplishments (years). Please use the following subheadings:
· The nature of the problem(s) or issue
· How the nominee addressed the problem(s) or issue using grassroots
methods
· Results of nominee’s work
· Controversy surrounding or concerns about nominee’s work or circumstances
· Hardships and personal risks faced by the nominee (optional)
· Sensitive background information that could be exposed by greater media
attention (if the nominee is selected to win the Prize)
· Why this accomplishment is significant on a national and/or international
level
5. Background Information on Nominee (two paragraphs or less)
Briefly describe the nominee's current occupational affiliation and job
title (if applicable), level of education completed, past involvement
with environmental issues (if any), and other awards or recognition
received by the nominee, including the year(s) the award(s) were given
(if known). If possible, please include a copy of the nominee’s resume
or CV.
6. Personal Information about Nominee
· What is the nominee’s age?
· What is the nominee’s nationality?
· What languages does the nominee speak?
Please provide the information below.
· Where was the nominee born? Raised?
· Is the nominee married? Do they have a domestic partner?
· Does the nominee have any children?
· What is the nominee’s level of education? What colleges or universities
did he/she attend?
· Are there any facts about the nominee’s family history that could be
pertinent to the nomination?
· Has the nominee ever been accused or convicted of a crime?
7. References
Please include the names, titles, organization affiliations, addresses,
phone numbers and email address of at least three professional
references who are well acquainted with the work of the nominee. Please
also include names and contact information for at least two personal
references who are well acquainted with the nominee personally. Please
make sure that references’ contact information is accurate and current.
Letters of reference are not necessary. The Goldman Environmental
Prize does not accept nominations that omit references.
8. Supporting Material
If available, please include documentation of the nominee's
environmental activities, such as newspaper or magazine articles
(please send no more than five). Supporting materials are most useful
to The Goldman Prize if they were recently published, come from a
reputable news source, and mention the nominee’s name. (These do not
have to be in English, but it is preferred.) Please include a list of
all of the supporting materials that you are submitting. If the
candidate becomes a finalist for the Prize, we may then request any
books or videotapes that would provide useful information about the
candidate’s work. Please do not send books or videos unless we request
them. However, if such materials are available, please submit a list of
those that can be sent upon request.
Nominations should be mailed to: Stephen Mills
Sierra Club
408 C Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
USA
The deadline for 2008 nominations is Friday, April 20, 2007. Nominations
may be sent via fax (202-547-6009), email ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) or
express mail. Please send the original copies of any material you fax to
us.
Guidelines for Nominators
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is critical to the integrity of our research. Keeping this
in mind, please:
· Do not advise candidates that they have been nominated.
· Be as discreet as possible. Refrain from discussing your nominations with
others. Exceptions can be made should your closest colleagues assist in the
preparation of the nomination.
· Ensure that references respect this confidentiality as well.
Nomination Terms
· Prior to submitting your nomination, please contact Stephen Mills (
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or 202-675-6691) to determine whether the
individual you intend to nominate is already an active candidate.
· All nominations are active/valid for three years, including the year that
they are submitted. We appreciate updates on your nominees for the 2006 and
2007 Prizes. If you need to know whom you have nominated in the past,
please contact us.
· We accept renominations of candidates by their original nominators if
there is substantial new information that strengthens their candidacy.
Submitting information on a candidate whom you have previously nominated
will not make you/your organization eligible for the honorarium, but it
will reactivate the nominee’s eligibility for the Prize.
· While we do not encourage nomination submissions in languages other than
English, if you feel your English language ability would jeopardize the
strength of your nomination, please contact us.
· We do not accept incomplete nominations.
Collaboration
We understand that many nominators may be familiar with the same
candidates. If you work with other nominators, please do not submit
numerous nominations for the same candidate. Also, note that we do not
accept nominations submitted jointly by more than one nominator.
Individuals and their Communities
While the Prize is given to individuals, we recognize the importance of
communities and organizations in many activists’ work and we know that it
can be politically and culturally problematic to award the Prize to one
person. If this is a concern, please make this clear in your nomination. If
your candidate is chosen to receive the Prize, we will work to sensitively
address these issues with the recipient in our media outreach. Please keep
in mind that each year the Prize is awarded to an individual (occasionally
two), not a community or organization.
Goldman Environmental Prize Nomination Evaluation Criteria
Formal Criteria
The following premises guide the jury in selecting Goldman Environmental
Prize winners:
· Recent achievements that have enhanced the environment and inspired
others are the foundation for recognition.
· Grassroots initiatives are given priority over scientific, academic or
governmental activities.
· Private citizens are given priority over executives of large NGOs.
· Government employees are eligible only for work outside the scope of
their official responsibilities.
· The Prize is not a lifetime achievement award, nor is it given
posthumously.
Guidelines & Priorities
Goldman Prize staff and jury members also consider the following when
reviewing candidates. This is not meant to be a complete list of
guidelines.
· Leadership in a grassroots campaign that seeks to have, or results in, a
significant impact at the regional, national or global level.
· Environmental campaigns that involve significant work with local
communities.
· Individuals who have conducted their work at great personal risk.
· Nominations with very recent, specific environmental accomplishments
(within the last three years).
· Individuals who are members of the community where they do their work.
· Leaders who are well respected by their communities and colleagues.
· Consideration is given to issues or geographic areas not yet recognized
by the global community or the Goldman Environmental Prize.
· Individuals whose current work or campaigns would be significantly
impacted by receiving the Prize.
· An individual’s ability to communicate the scope of their work to the
general public.
· Recipients are often recognized at a certain point in their careers—near
the time of a significant accomplishment and before they become
well-established or well-known.
· While we recognize the importance of communities and organizations in
many activists’ work, we prefer nominations of one individual.
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