How-to Write An SCA Award Recommendation
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| Recognition in Court |
Do you know someone worthy of an SCA award? Someone who deserves recognition for their outstanding medieval recreations or plentiful service? If you do you can help them out by writing an award recommendation.
Yes, you can do this. Anyone can submit one. In Calontir the easiest way to do this is by the Online Award Recommendation Form. Much simpler than writing a formal recommendation letter and snail-mailing it, like back in the day.
Awards offer people admission into Their Majesties orders. They are considered by the current Majesties for what the recipient has done, not on who you are.
Even so, you are an important link in the recommendation process. Without you, Their Majesties may never learn the work your friend has done. Or the beautiful recreations you’ve seen someone else make.
Monarchs have their own ways to determine who receives awards during their reign and varies between them. So if you submitted a recommendation for someone once, do it again if they didn’t receive it. You help both Their Majesties and the recipient by providing the detailed information.
In Calontir Monarch’s plan their reign soon after they become heirs. They attend order meetings to learn candidates’ accomplishments. For AoA level awards the best time to submit, but not the only time, is soon after Their Majesties assume the throne. Be sure to submit an AoA recommendation at least two months prior to an event you guess your person will attend.
Begin by looking up your recipient’s name in the Calontir online Order of Precedence (OP). It’s easier to do this beforehand but if you don’t there’s a link on the online award rec webpage. Here you confirm if your friend already has the award. It doesn’t look good but it happens someone gets an award twice.
On the form, there are details required about who you and the recipient are. You must give your recipients full SCA name or else Their Majesties can’t even have a scroll made. But also you give your SCA name, modern name, phone number, and email. This provides Their Majesties a way to clarify any questions they have about your submission. Additional personal information helps if there are confusions about the recipient or the award.
You’ll want to describe in detail your intended recipient’s accomplishments. Depending on the award and person you could include offices, local awards and any factors causing you to believe your friend or acquaintance should be given the award. If you have dates, you should use them. If you include comments others have made say who spoke them. Don’t include anonymous statements. Be persuasive without exaggerating what the recipient has done.
Consider also people who came from other local groups or kingdoms. You can look up online what they did prior to your meeting them and include that in your recommendation.
I’ve been asked if you can write a recommendation for your lord or lady. If you feel they deserve it, of course, you can. Who else knows their efforts better than you? If you do, it is proper to disclose your relationship even though this is an online form.
In the SCA and Calontir, some people are given awards because they contributed to the dream in many small ways over an extended time. If you are recommending someone for such an accomplishment don’t overlook even minor ways they have been helpful or inspiring. If this is huge you might ask several others to write recommendations for the same award.
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| Heather Receives the Queens Chalice |
Write that award recommendation today. The sooner the better. You may submit the deciding factor helping Their Majesties present a deserving subject an award they’ll cherish forever.
Related Prior Post:
What’s An Award Scroll’s Purpose?
Categories: How-to
An Itinerant Scribe 