Nominations are now closed for 2015.

Show you value your volunteers by nominating them for a British Judo Award.

Over 5,000 people across United Kingdom help make British Judo what it is by volunteering their time to run or support our clubs, competitions and area committees.  Without them British Judo would not exist, and you the members would not be able to participate in the sport we all love.

In 2006 the British Judo Association (BJA) introduced a volunteer award scheme to acknowledge the efforts and achievements of our volunteers and to shine the spotlight on some of those incredible individuals.  Since the scheme’s inception we have celebrated the achievements of over 250 volunteers and as we progress through 2015 it is now time for you to nominate the next group of deserving individuals.

Who is eligible for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

If someone gives up their time free of charge to support our sport then they are eligible.

Every club has at least one person who volunteers their time, whether every week or once in a while, time is precious and their efforts should be rewarded. We are looking for club volunteers: mat layers, money collectors, sticker monitors, welfare officers, coaches and more. 

Our event volunteers (Competition organisers, Referees, Officials, Examiners and general event staff) are eligible too. BJA licensed events take place all year round across the country and could not run without volunteers. At the end of a hard day of competing, volunteers reward their players for a job well done, now it is time for the BJA to reward you – the volunteers.

Our young volunteers are also eligible: Junior Referees, Technical Officials under the age 18 (TOCs) and any enthusiastic and inspirational individual who volunteers in any capacity within your club or for the sport.

Finally, we are also accepting nominations for clubs. In order to be eligible for an award the club must be actively engaging with the BJA, working with their Technical Official or Service Manager and supporting British Judo’s development programmes.

Who can nominate someone for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

Anyone can nominate a volunteer or club for an award. We actively encourage our members and those closest to them to nominate the people who make a difference to their sporting experience.

Why nominate someone for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

We receive around 300 nominations each year for the volunteer awards and as much as we would like to reward every one, it is simply not feasible for the association to present awards to all deserving nominees. 

However, everyone nominated will receive a thank you card advising them who nominated them and why they deserve to be recognised. For many of our volunteers knowing that their efforts are appreciated by those who benefit from their time is the greatest prize.

How do I nominate someone for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

Our on-line nomination form is there to give all of our members and their parents a quick and easy way to say ‘Thank you for doing a great job and we appreciate you’.

Nothing says thank you like actually saying thank you so go on-line and take this opportunity to make your volunteers feel valued.  

When submitting your nomination you will need to provide:

• Your name
• Your email address
• The name of the person you are nominating
• The name of their club (if possible)

You will be given the opportunity to select an appropriate category and will be asked to give the reason for your nomination in less than 100 words. Remember whatever you say will be passed directly to the person you are thanking so send them a message rather than a CV.

To submit your nominations go to:

www.britishjudo.org.uk/nominate2015

Nominations close at midnight on 30^th June 2015.

After the nominations close what happens next?

Once the nomination period closes, every nomination will be reviewed and categorised.  Each category will then be discussed and finalists selected by British Judo’s Reward and Recognition Group.

Finalists will be invited to attend the 2015 annual awards dinner where they will be invited on stage to collect their award. 

This year’s awards categories include:

Event Volunteer Awards

• Young Referee of the Year
• Referee of the Year
• Official of the Year
• Event Volunteer of the Year

Club Volunteer Awards

• Club Volunteer of the Year
• Club of the Year
• Coach of the Year

Other Awards

• Young Volunteer of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year

NB: Although some changes may occur once this year’s nominations have been categorised, it is likely that similar categories will be used.

Members may be interested to know that the Reward and Recognition Group base their decisions not on the number of nominations submitted for one individual but on the quality of the nomination submitted.  By the time nominations reach the group all identifying information has been removed, this is the fairest way to ensure that decisions are made based on the nominations not on people’s knowledge of an individual. 

When and where will the awards dinner take place?

Information regarding the date and venue for this year’s awards is currently being kept under wraps. 

Once an official announcement has been made, this information will be disseminated to all interested parties and tickets will go on sale.