Operational Guidelines: 070 Awards

Purpose

The Fellow of the Association Award recognizes extraordinary excellence in the discipline of business communication and its related areas of study. It is the most respected honor the Association can award.

A nominee has contributed in an outstanding manner in one of the following areas and has contributed in a substantial manner in at least two other areas: 

1. Teaching, Pedagogy, and Methodology.
2. Research.
3. Publications.
4. Association Leadership.
5. Professionalism:
   a) graduate and undergraduate program development;
   b) cooperation with other societies or organizations;
   c) corporate or institutional training consultancies or program development.

070-002 Distinguished Member Award

Purpose

The purpose of the Distinguished Member Award is to acknowledge long-term service to the Association for Business Communication and to the discipline. The award identifies excellence in areas important to the teaching of communication as well as to advancing communication as a discipline.

The candidate qualifies in six areas. The Nominating Committee finds evidence of superior accomplishment in three areas. 

1. Publications (one of which must be in the Journal of Business Communication).
2. Teaching innovations or awards.
3. Leadership in academic or business organizations.
4. Leadership and service to community.
5. Leadership in the Association.
6. Participation in professional associations, specifically attending Association regional and international meetings.
7. Consulting, contributing to teaching and research.
8. Training program development for business, industry, or government.

070-003 Award of Merit in Memory of Francis W. Weeks

Purpose

The purpose of the Award of Merit in Memory of Francis W. Weeks is to acknowledge, foremost, contributions to the profession, and to recognized outstanding advancement in the discipline of business communication through a singular accomplishment of a series of accomplishments. The Board of Directors has authority to give honorary awards, as long as candidates meet the criteria of the award.

The criteria are: 

1. Service and leadership in the profession.
2. Meritorious single project or multiple projects: a) research (published and unpublished), b) publications (editing, supervising, and sponsoring), c) support organizations (student organizations, study groups, research funding, etc.).
3. Professional development: a) directing symposiums, forums, workshops or conventions, b) liaison with other societies.
4. Contributions by members and/or nonmembers to the communication discipline in specialty areas such as governmental agencies, charitable organizations, etc.
5. Contributions by members and/or nonmembers to the communication disciplines and programs in other nations:
   a) other national society leadership.
   b) sponsorship of ABC in other nations.
   c) sponsorship of legislative petitions and bills.
   d) other.

070-004 Outstanding Teacher Award
in memory of Meada Gibbs

Purpose

The purpose of the award is to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in teaching business communication.

The recipient of the award is a person who, in the judgement of the Selection Committee, has made a significant contribution to business communication teaching methodology and concepts during the three years preceding the presentation of the award.

The Selection Committee considers the overall record of the recipient, with primary emphasis on the impact of the recipient’s teaching philosophy or methodology in business communication. Selection criteria include but are not limited to the following areas: 

1. Publications, conference presentations, and/or research record (publications must include articles in Business Communication Quarterly and/or the Journal of Business Communication).
2. Current teaching or training experience in business communication courses and/or related courses.
3. Evidence of positive student or participant evaluations.
4. Evidence of positive administrative or peer evaluations.

Selection

The ABC Teaching Committee selects the recipient of the award.

Description

The award recipient receives a plaque and $500 cash contributed by Board-approved sponsor(s).By existing agreement, the Association for Business Communicationn permits the sponsor(s) to publicize the name of the awardee in advertising.

Purpose

The award recognizes and encourages excellence in business communication research. The recipient is an ABC member whose research has made an outstanding contribution to the business communication discipline.

Criteria include 

1. Overall contribution of the researcher’s cumulative publications in refereed journals and scholarly books.
2. Significance of the research to the field.
3. Overall quality of the research.
4. Heuristic value of the research.

Selection

The ABC Research Committee selects the recipient of the award.

The award recipient receives a plaque and $500 cash, contributed by Board-approved sponsor(s). By existing agreement, the Association for Business Communication permits the sponsor(s) to publicize the name of the awardee in advertising.

The Award for Distinguished Publication on Business Communication is awarded to the author(s) of an article or essay which meets the following criteria: 

1. Contributes significantly to scholarship, research, and/or pedagogy.
2. Demonstrates originality of thought and careful investigation.
3. Is extremely well written, lucid, and engaging.
4. Has been published in the calendar year preceding the annual convention at which the award will be presented.

Eligibility

Authors are not eligible to receive this award two years in a row.

Selection

The ABC Publications Board selects the recipient of the award.

Description

The award recipient(s) receives a plaque, one-year full membership in the Association, and a monetary award of $500 cash contributed by Board-approved sponsor(s). By existing agreement, the Association for Business Communication permits the sponsor(s) to publicize the name(s) of the awardee(s) in advertising.

070-007 Spirit of ABC Award
in memory of Bernadine P. Branchaw

Purpose

The purpose of the Spirit of ABC Award is to acknowledge extraordinary contributions to the friendliness of ABC.

The award recognizes, on an extraordinary basis, exceptional members of ABC whose spirit of friendliness and welcome and whose activities in support of that spirit through the whole organization contribute substantially to an atmosphere of welcome and appreciation for both newcomers and continuing members.

Selection

When special circumstances warrant granting the Award, the Nominating Committee proposes candidates to the Board of Directors, which approves the award.

The award recipient receives a plaque and $500.

The ABC Awards for Outstanding Article in the Journal of Business Communication and in Business Communication Quarterly are each awarded to the author(s) of an article that meets the following criteria: 

1. Contributes significantly to scholarship, research, and/or pedagogy.
2. Demonstrates originality of thought and careful investigation.
3. Is well written, lucid, and engaging.
4. Is published in the calendar year preceding the annual convention at which the award is presented.

Eligibility

Authors are not eligible to receive this award two years in a row.

Selection

The ABC Publications Board selects the recipient of the awards.

Description

The award recipients receive a plaque, a one-year full membership in the association, and a monetary award of $500 cash contributed by Board-approved sponsor(s). By existing agreement, the Association for Business Communication permits the sponsors to publicize the names of the awardees in advertising.

070-009 Student Competition

Criteria

The Student Competition Awards will be presented to undergraduate students whose entries meet the following criteria. The winning entries will: