BMFA Awards

THE AWARDS PROCEDURE for SMAE, RAeC and FAI AWARDS

The information contained on this website is for the reference and guidance of those considering submitting nominations for National and International honours and awards applicable to Aeromodelling.

There are three categories of awards:
BMFA (SMAE) honours and awards are totally within the gift of the Association.

Royal Aero Club (RAeC) and Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) awards.

Whilst the BMFA may approve a submission, these awards are the gift of these organisations and will be in competition with nominations from other air sports and nations respectively.

Procedures

The particular timing of the Awards Committee meeting to discuss nominations prior to submission to Council is necessary because the RAeC and the FAI (CIAM) require returns by certain dates, and the BMFA by its AGM held in November. Consequently the September Council meeting is the only practical one at which to consider nominations. The Awards Committee, therefore, meets once a year, normally at the Nationals held at the end of August because the time is convenient and little expense is incurred.

To enable members of the Awards Committee to consider all the nominations together, all citations (except for the Perkins Slade Pilot of the Year and the Henry J Award) must be submitted either electronically or in writing to the BMFA office for the attention of the Awards Committee Chairman by 1st August in any given year.

Nominations for Pilot of the Year and the Henry J Trophy should be submitted as soon as possible after the qualifying performance. If all National and International competitions have been completed, these awards may be considered at the September Council. If not, the absolute closing date for receipt of nominations is 31st October. Council approval will then be sought by electronic ballot.

The following procedures for submitting nominations are to be followed:

Area Committees, Technical Committees, Affiliated Clubs, current Council Members and Fellows of the Society, may submit nominations. Submissions from clubs must be submitted by a current committee member.
Citations should be submitted electronically using the online nomination form (preferred method) or you may download a nomination form from BMFA Downloads Guidelines for completion of the citation are included on both the online and downloadable template. The citation must not exceed 450 words, whether submitted electronically or typed/hand written.
Whilst the proposer may suggest the award for which a nominee is put forward, the Awards Committee shall decide which category of award is most suitable and present its recommendation to Council.
The BMFA office staff will acknowledge receipt of all nominations. As soon as possible after the September Council meeting, the Chairman of the Awards Committee will write to the sponsor of all unsuccessful nominees (by letter or email) and will similarly advise those who are to receive an award or have their nomination forwarded to the RAeC or FAI as appropriate. It should be remembered that the BMFA can only make recommendations for RAeC and FAI awards and that it may be some months before the awarding body makes its decision. Successful candidates for these awards will be notified through the BMFA office.
BMFA awards are presented at the annual dinner and prizegiving held after the AGM in November. The RAeC Awards Committee sits in January with the presentations made at the RAeC in London in April or May. The major FAI awards are presented at the FAI Conference (usually in October) and are generally accepted on behalf of the BMFA by the RAeC Delegate to the Conference. The awards are then formally presented to the winners at the BMFA annual prizegiving.
You are reminded that some of the awards are highly prestigious. They are, rightly, limited to not more than one a year, are highly competitive and not given automatically. Should none of the citations adequately support the nominations, the award will not be made. Some awards, such as the Prince of Wales Cup, relate to a specific period of achievement for qualification, and the opportunity, once lost, is gone forever.

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