AwardsNominationUserGuide

Step1: Pre-nomination Preparation:

You are strongly encouraged to form a nomination team at your place of employment or within your Local Section or Division to annually identify and nominate worthy individuals who exemplify the mission of the ACS National Awards Program and meet award criteria. As a nominatoryouwill need to supplytheinformation anddocumentsbelow.If yougatherand prepare this information beforebeginning theprocessthis will greatly expedite yoursubmission. All entries should focus on the award and selection committee criteria.

  • Contact Information: For the nominator*, nominee, and support letter writers. This information can be searched in the online system by name or member number. If the nominee is not in the online system, the contact information can be entered in the online database by selecting Create New Nominee. This option will appear after the nominee’s name has been entered. Please include the email address, prefix (Dr. Mr. Mrs.), organization, job title, full address, and telephone numbers. *This individual is responsible for entering all nomination materials.
  • Citation (25 words or less):Include a description of the work that can be inscribed on the award certificate (i.e., For his or her outstanding accomplishments...).
  • Recommendation Letter. (750 words or less):Describe why the nominee’s accomplishments should receive the award. The letter should describe the nominee's work and how it is aligned with the purpose, eligibility, and/or criteria of the Award, the impact on the discipline, the significance (scientific or otherwise) of this effort, and the benefits to the Society.
  • Biographical sketch:Brief biographical sketch (2 pages) that focuses on the award and selection committee criteria. If award specifies degree and date information, please include. Please do not include a list of publications and bio patents.
  • List of Nominee’s MostSignificantPublications and Patents (20 maximum):Address the general area of the Award’s purpose. (For the ACS Award for Creative Invention, a copy of the patent must be submitted with the nominating documents.)
  • Supportletter (400 words or less):One support letter is required. A second support letter is optional, but strongly encouraged. Support letter writers are not required to be members of the Society. If the Supporter is not in the online system, the contact information can be entered in the online database by selecting Create New Supporter. Supporter's contact information should be included in the letter, preferably on letterhead.
    To assist the selection committee in its deliberations, the support letter(s) should contain information not addressed in the recommendation letter. The support letter(s) should clearly describe the impact of the work on the discipline, the significance of the research findings, and the way the Award’s purpose and criteria have been met.

Step2: Loginto the Nomination Application:

TheURLfortheACS NationalAwards Nomination Application is: intotheNomination Application byusing either a combinationofyourLastNameand ACSMemberNumberoryourACS ID and password.ACSIDs can beobtainedat theACSNationalAwardsNomination Application.

Afterlogging in, you maybeaskedtoconfirmyourcontactinformation. Ifallis correct,youcan checkthe “Confirm” boxand submit.If you need to change or update your contact information, please contact ACS member services at 1-800-333-9511 or at .

Step3: Selectthe Award and Create/EdittheNomination:

Fromthenominationdashboard you cancreate anewnominationormanageexisting activeor rollovernominations.

3.1Creatinga NewIndividualNomination:

Tocreate a newnomination,select theAwardfromthedropdown listorbegin typinga searchtermintotheAward Nametextbox.Onceyou haveidentified theAward,selectthe “Create New Nomination” button tobegin thenomination.

Identify theNominee:

Youwill besearching the ACSdatabaseto identifythenomineeforyour nomination.You cansearchthedatabasebyACSmembernumberorbyname.To searchbyACSmember number,select the“I knowtheirmembernumber”radiobutton andenterthemembernumberintothe searchbox. Clicking the“Find Member”button will find thenominee.Tosearchbyname,selectthe “I know their name”radiobutton andtypethenominee’s lastnamefollowed byfirstname in the searchbox. Onceyou havefound thenominee,clickthe“SelectNominee”buttonto continuethe application.

If the personyouwish tonominate isnotfound intheACS database,you cancreate a newcustomerrecord forthenominee.Simply,select the“Createa newnominee”button.Youwillberequired to enternameand addressinformation forthenominee.(Note:Toavoid duplicaterecordsfrombeing created,you mustsearchforthenomineebynamebeforethechoice tocreate a newnominee isavailable.)

Select the Continuebuttonto advancetothenextpage ofthenomination.

EligibilityQuestions:

Theeligibilityquestionsaredictated bythespecificAward eligibilityrequirements.Allquestionson thispageneed to be addressed.Basedon theanswerstothesequestions,you willbenotifiedifthenominee is notan eligiblenomineefortheaward.

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Code of Conduct Confirmation

Select the Continuebuttonto advancetothenextpage ofthenomination.

Preparethebodyofthenomination:

Citation–Enter asuggested citation forthisnomination.There is a25-word limitonthecitation.

Letter of Recommendation–Either entertextin thetextboxorupload a documentthat explains in 750wordsor lesswhythe nominee is deserving ofrecognition bythisaward.TheRecommendationlettershould clearlyindicate:

  • Alignment of work with Award's purpose, eligibility, and/or criteria
  • Significance and impact of this work on the field/discipline and on the chemical enterprise
  • Excellence of the work
  • Innovativeness of the approach used
  • Potential/realized impact and benefits of the work on society
  • Service to the scientific community

Toupload a document,click the“SelectFile”buttonand browsetothedocument.Documentsare restrictedtoWordorPDFformats.

Publications/Patents–Upload a documentthatcontains a listof up to 20ofthe nominee’smostsignificantpublications and patentsaligned with the award.

NEW: For the James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching, please also include a nominee-authored statement of not more than 500 words which describes the nominee’s beliefs about teaching and learning, how those beliefs have developed, and specific examples of how those beliefs have been put into practice. This statement should be included in the sectionwhere any publications or patents are listed.

To uploada document,clickthe“SelectFile”buttonand browsetothedocument.Documentsarerestricted toWordorPDFformats.

BiographicalSketch –Upload thenominee’sbriefbiographical sketch (2 pgs) that focuses on the award and selection committee criteria.If award specifies degree and date information, please include. Touploada document,clickthe“SelectFile”button and browseto thedocument.DocumentsarerestrictedtoWordorPDFformats.

Supportletters–ToassisttheSelection Committee in itsdeliberations,theidentificationofonesupporterand supportletteris required.Theselettersshould beno morethan400words andcontaininformation notgiven in therecommendationletter. The support lettersshouldclearlydescribetheimpactofthe nominee’sworkonthediscipline/chemical enterpriseandthe alignmentofthiseffortwith theAward’spurpose,eligibilityand/orcriteria.

Youmayalsoidentify a second supporterforthenomination anduploadan additionalsupport letter. This second supporter/support letter is option but recommended. However, if a second supporter is identified, a corresponding support letter of 400 words or less must also be uploaded.

As withthe nominee,youwill besearching theACS databasetoidentifythesupporterforyournomination. Ifthe supporter is notlocated in theACSdatabaseyouwill havetheopportunitytoadd a newrecord forthesupporter.

Oncethesupporterhasbeenidentifiedyouwillneedtoupload theircorresponding supportletter.To upload adocument, clickthe“SelectFile”button and browseto the document.

DocumentsarerestrictedtoWordorPDFformats.

Select the Continuebuttonto advancetotheconfirmation page.

ConfirmtheNomination materials arecorrect:

Review allcontentontheconfirmation page.You willbeableto “open”any uploadedfilestoconfirmtheyarecorrect. Ifanychangesareneededselectthe “GoBack”buttonuntil you gettothe page/steprequiring thechange.

Oncethenomination iscompleteand allmaterialsarecorrect,selectthe“Submit”button.Youwill then receivean email confirming thereceiptof yoursubmission.Untiltheaward deadline,youwill havetheabilityto returntoyourdashboard to makeanyadditionaledits orchangestothe nomination.

3.2Creatinga NewTeamNomination:

Adding/Naming theTeam:

If the Award you choose isa Teamaward,thesteps areslightlydifferent.Youwillfirstneedtonamethe Teambyusing theteam members’lastnames,separated bycommas.

Youwill then need to enterthefollowinginfofortheteam:

Letter of Recommendation–Either entertextin thetextboxorupload a documentthat explains in 750wordsor lesswhythe team effort and research accomplishments aredeserving ofrecognition bythisaward.TheRecommendationlettershould clearlyindicate:

•Alignment of work with Award's purpose, eligibility, and/or criteria

•Significance and impact of this work on the field/discipline and on the chemical enterprise

•Excellence of the work

•Innovativeness of the approach used

•Potential/realized impact and benefits of the work on society

•Service to the scientific community

Toupload a document,click the“SelectFile”buttonand browsetothedocument.DocumentsarerestrictedtoWordorPDFformats.

Citation–Enter asuggested citation forthisteamnomination.There is a25-word limitonthecitation.

Supportletters–ToassisttheSelection Committee in itsdeliberations,theidentificationofonesupporterand supportletteris required.Thelettershould beno morethan400words andcontaininformation notgiven in therecommendationletter. The supportlettershouldclearlydescribetheimpactofthe nominee’sworkonthediscipline/chemical enterpriseandthe alignmentofthiseffortwith theAward’spurpose,eligibilityand/orcriteria.

Youmayalsoidentify a second supporterforthenomination anduploadan additionalsupportletter.Thissecondsupporter/supportletterisoptionalbutrecommended. However,if a second supporter isidentified,a corresponding supportletterof 400 words or less mustbeuploaded.

Youwill besearching the ACSdatabaseto identifythesupporterforyournomination. If thesupporter isnotlocatedinthe ACS databaseyouwillhavetheopportunitytoadd anewrecordforthesupporter.Pleasereferto the sectionIdentifythe Nominee on page2 forinstructionsonhowto searchforindividuals in thedatabase.

Oncethesupporterhasbeenidentifiedyouwillneedtoupload theircorresponding supportletter.To upload adocument, clickthe“SelectFile”button and browseto the document. Documents are restricted to Word or PDF formats.

Clickthe“CreateTeam” Buttonto continue.

CreatetheTeam:

Youwill thenbetaken toadashboard pagewhereyou willseetheoptionto AddTeamNominee.Thesteps foraddinga teamnomineeareidentical toadding a singlenomineeon page2 ofthisdocument.If theindividual is notin the ACSDatabaseyouwill begiventhe optiontocreatea recordforthem.

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Code of Conduct Confirmation for Team Nominations

Afterselectingor adding theteam member,youwill thenneedto entera Publications andPatentslistandBio Sketchforeachteammember,similartoindividualnominations.

ClickContinuetoproceedbacktotheDashboard pagetoaddanotherTeam memberor finalizethe Team Nomination.

NOTE: Thenumberof team membersperteamisset byspecific Awardrequirements.Theprogramwillnotallowyoutocontinueif you havetoo fewortoo manyteammembers.

ConfirmtheTeamNomination materialsarecorrect:

If youare finishedadding Team Members,clickthe“SubmitNomination” buttonunder theTeamname.Thiswilltakeyoutotheconfirmation page.ReviewboththeTeam contentand theIndividualProfilecontentto makesureit iscorrect. Ifanychangesareneededselectthe “GoBack” button and select EditnexttotheTeamNomination to maketherequiredchanges. Youcanalso “Remove”anyteam membersif neededor add additionalonesifeligible.

Oncethenomination iscompleteand allmaterialsarecorrect,selectthe“Submit”button.Youwill then receivean email confirming thereceiptof yoursubmission.Untiltheaward deadline,youwill havetheabilityto returntoyourdashboard to makeanyadditionaledits orchangestothe nomination.

3.3Editing anExistingorRollover Nomination:

Editing Existing Nominations:

If you begin a nomination per the instructionsabove,andneed to “SaveforLater,”thatnominationwill appearonyour dashboard whenyounextlog in.You simplycyclethroughthepages,finisheditingor adding therequired documentation, andsubmit. ForTeamnominationsyouwill alsohavetheabilitytoaddor removeTeam Members ifyou havenotreached thelimitsforthatparticularAward.

Editing RolloverNominations:

It is very helpful to the Selection Committee to have updated information. This is particularly important for nominations that are not compliant with the current word limits. In addition,valid nominationsfrompreviousyearswill automaticallyberolledoverinto thecurrent cycleandshowonyourDashboard as aRolloverNomination.Toedita RolloverNomination,clickon Editfromthe dashboard andyouwillbecycledthrough thenominationscreenspertheinstructionsabove.

•If thereare nochangestoan existing RolloverNomination,youDONOT NEEDTOEDIT.Simplyleave it aloneanditwill beincluded inthe current yearsubmissions.

•IF YOUBEGIN EDITING a rollovernomination,youwillberequired to complete allthescreensand stepsandpossiblyre-upload anysupporting documents, including theOutputList,theBio Sketch andanySupportletters.Pleasepreparebyhaving all filesor documentation availablebeforebeginning toedita RolloverNomination.

SpecialNotes

  • Allnominationsmustbesubmitted bytheAwardDeadlineforconsideration.
  • If you need to stop at anytimeduring theprocess,youhavethe abilitytochoose the SaveforLaterbuttonatthe bottomofthe screen.
  • At any pointpriortotheAwarddeadline,you can return totheDashboardto continueworkingon thenomination,editit,or deleteitaltogether.
  • Thesystemissetto warnyou ifyou havebecomeidlefor20minutes.You willreceivea warningscreen andgiventheoption to continuewithyoursessionor logout.Pleasebeawarethat ifyoulogoutwithout“Saving forLater,”noneofyourprogress oruploadswill besaved. Ifyou donotrespond to the timeoutwarning, you riskbeing automaticallyloggedout andyoursessionaborted.

ErrorsduringSubmission

Someusersmayexperience an errorwhen trying tocompletea nomination.Theseerrorsfallintotwogeneral categories:

  • Upload Errors

Upload errorsoccur whena documentisunacceptabletothesystem.Thiscould bedueto thefilebeing corrupt, inaformat that isnotacceptable,orhavinga long nameor a name containingspecial characterssuchas“&”or“%.” If youexperience an uploaderror,pleasecontact mayask you toforward thedocument causing the errorso wecan analyze it.

  • ASMErrors

The ASM isanextrasecuritylayer which hasbeenplacedoverall member-facingewebapplicationstoprotectagainsthackingandotherInternetsecuritybreaches.ASMErrorsoccurwheninformationthatisenteredintoaneweb applicationcontainssuspectwording,charactersorcodethatalertthesecurityprogram.

Belowaretwoscreenshotsof whatyoumay seewithanASMError.ThesevarydependingontheInternetbrowserused,ortheapplication.

Ifyoureceive an ASMError duringsubmission,donot worry –yourPCisNOTatrisk.Pleasesendthefollowinginformationto ntheycanworkwithyou immediatelyto helpyou bypassthe ASMerror and continue yournomination.Theinformationbelowhelpsustracktheerrorsandimprovethesystem.

  • TheApplicationyouareusing(AwardsVoting,AwardsNominations,etc.)
  • YourInternetBrowser/Version.ThemostcommonbrowsersareInternetExplorer(I.E.),Firefox,GoogleChrome,Safari.Also sendthe version ifyou knowit,i.e.Firefox10,InternetExplorer9.
  • TheSection/Scenariooftheapplicationwheretheerroroccurred(i.e.,updatingmybio,uploadingasupportingdocument,enteringfreeformtext).
  • Thetextorfileyouwereentering
  • The ASMSupport ID--This isthelongnumberthat appears inthe ASMErrormessage.

Thank you for your nomination. The mission of the ACS National Awards Program is to promote and deliver a high-quality recognition program that highlights the contributions of members of the chemistry enterprise by actively engaging chemical practitioners worldwide. We sincerely thank you for your role in ensuring a successful National Awards Program.