|
OSA Awards 2010 - Process |
|
OSA AWARDS (Nomination deadline: April 30)
Award Guidelines Document (MS Word)
Section 1: General Guidelines
§ If no suitable candidate is found in a particular year for a particular category, no award may be given.
§ In the event of a tie, or if the awards committee felt that more than one person deserve the award, the number of awards may be increased to two in any given year.
§ The nominator of an award must be a member of OSA at the time of nomination. The nomination process is different for different awards.
§ Self-nominations will not be accepted except for Subrina Biswal Academic Excellence Award
§ The contact information of the referees (telephone no., email address etc.) for various award categories must be provided in the nomination form to enable the judging committee to contact them. Only referees who are prepared to provide verbal or written recommendations should be included.
§ With the exception of Subrina Biswal award, no member of the national executive and award committee including family members may be nominated for any award to maintain transparency of the award process.
§ One person may not be nominated for more than one award category
Nomination Submission:
§ Nominations for all awards (except for Meghna Memorial Award and Kalinga Youth Entrepreneurship Award) should be sent to award coordinator Mr. Manoj Mahapatra at manojkmahapatra@gmail.com. Awards requiring documentary proofs such as recommendation letters for Subrina Biswal Memorial Award must be mailed by US/Canada post to Mr. Mahapatra’s address: 2457 Wentworth Lane, Aurora, IL 60502, USA.
§ Nominations for Meghna Memorial Award & Kalinga Youth Entrepreneurship Awards should be sent to specific contacts mentioned in those award sections below.
General Process of Selection:
§ A three-member selection committee appointed by the award committee on behalf of the Executive Council for each award will select the recipient for the award.
§ The decision of the awards committee is final.
§ A biographical sketch of the recipient of the award will be featured in next issue of the OSA Journal.
General Time Line:
§ Last date for nomination: April 30 (post-marked/ electronic)
§ Judging process: May 1 through June 10 (may vary for some awards)
§ Announcement of result: June 15 (may vary for some awards)
§ Award presentation will be made during the OSA Convention
1. DISTINGUISHED
ORIYA AWARD:
The Distinguished Oriya award is the highest award presented by the Orissa
Society of the Americas, a non-profit
organization operating in North
America to preserve and promote the
culture, heritage, and customs of Oriya speaking people.
Recipients will receive an inscribed plaque and a certificate of honor at a special function or in the annual Convention hosted by the OSA.
Criteria for Recognition:
Selection is based on contribution in one or more of the following areas:
The nominee must have
§ Proficiency in professional disciplines with outstanding accomplishments in arts, theatre, literature, science, technology, medicine and /or similar fields.
§ Rendered public service with innovative application of resources to enhance literacy, health, education, hygiene, child care, community service and similar other humanitarian and philanthropic service with direct contribution to Orissa, the land and its people.
§ Proficiency in and outstanding contribution to Oriya Art, Culture, Heritage and Literature
§ Leadership to bring forth social justice in Orissa.
§ Entrepreneurial skills to cultivate resources in order to provide economic stimuli and opportunities for employment and economic growth in Orissa
§ Patriotic idealism to uphold the honor and dignity of Oriya people.
§ Acts of heroism directly contributing to the cause of Orissa and its people.
Eligibility Requirements:
The nominee must be a member of the OSA with good standing or have, in case of nominees from overseas, must have contributed to the OSA in a tangible and visible manner.
The nominator must be a member of the OSA with good standing.
Nomination Process:
Names of three referees, preferably OSA members and having good knowledge of the nominee and his / her field of expertise or achievement, who would agree to provide written or verbal reference on the merits of the nominee must be included in the application. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
The Kalashree Award is an honor in recognition of an individual’s continued service to Oriya art, literature, music, dance, and similar cultural and heritage-based activities in North America.
The Award will be presented in form a plaque in a special OSA meeting or in the Annual convention.
Criteria for Selection:
Selection will be based on contributions in one or more of the following areas:
The nominee:
§ As a promoter of Oriya art and culture, must have outstanding record of cultural activities such as promotion of Oriya language and literature, hosting of events featuring Oriya cultural programs including visiting artists.
§ As a performing artist, must have demonstrated high quality artistic productions, training, and choreography in areas such as Odissi Dance,Odissi Music, Folk dance and music of Orissa, and similar other traditional art of Orissa including production of Oriya films, Oriya dramas, (and, if in any other language, must feature Oriya culture and heritage), hosting of conventions promoting Oriya artists and artistic endeavors.
§ As an established author, must have demonstrated high quality authorship in areas such as novels, stories, poetry and such other literary activities in Oriya
Only activities and/ or accomplishments performed in North America will constitute grounds for consideration
Eligibility Requirements:
§ The nominee must be an OSA Member at the time of nomination.
§ The person should have several years of active participation in cultural activities of the OSA.
§ The person must be, during the year of the Award, living in North America.
Nomination Process:
§ An individual member of the OSA with good standing may nominate a candidate in the approved nomination form.
§ It will be required to name three referees who must be members of the OSA and have good knowledge of the cultural activities of OSA.
§ One of the referees must be from the Chapter to which the nominee belongs, so that he/she can report on the role of the individual in the Chapter’s cultural and literary activities.
Self-nomination will not be accepted.
3. UTKALAMANI GOPABANDHU DAS MEMORIAL AWARD
The Award is presented to an individual in recognition of his/ her outstanding contribution to Orissa in areas of humanitarian and community service. The recipient demonstrates a role model to the Non-resident Oriya community for his / her philanthropic accomplishments, dedication and selfless service to humanity.
The Award in form a plaque with appropriate citation and picture of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das will be presented to the recipient in a special function of the OSA
or during the Annual Convention.
Criteria for Selection:
The nominee must have made outstanding contribution to the land and people of Orissa in areas such as, but not limited to,
§ Social work
§ Addressing and resolving women’s issues and rehabilitation
§ Improving economic well-being of disadvantaged persons
§ Relief operation
§ Community service, community health,
§ Relief of poverty
§ Advancement of education at various levels and in various sectors
§ Advancement in services in the Health Sector
And, similar other philanthropic endeavors in Orissa.
Eligibility Requirements:
Must be a member of the OSA with good standing.
Nomination Process:
Nominator must be member of the OSA with good standing and must fill out the nomination form with names of three referees who should comment on the nominee’s accomplishments. The referees must be members of the OSA or have good knowledge of the kinds of service done in Orissa by NROs.
Self-nomination will not be accepted.
4. SUBRINA BISWAL AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Every year, the Orissa Society of
the Americas, in joint sponsorship with Dr. Nilambar and Annapurna Biswal and
Dr. Sitakantha Dash, presents the Subrina Biswal Award for Academic Excellence
to honor an outstanding high school graduate selected from OSA families.
Recipients are selected based on their academic achievements, extra-curricular
activities including community service and personal qualities. This award which
provides the recipient with one-time scholarship of US $1000.00 was initiated in
1990 by members of OSA in the loving memory of Subrina, daughter of Dr. Nilambar
and Annapurna Biswal of Maryland.
Eligibility Requirements:
The applicant must be a graduating high school senior from any School in the USA or Canada.
Criteria for Selection:
Assessment will be made on all of the following criteria:
§ Academic achievements.
§ Extra-curricular activities including community service
§ Personal qualities demonstrated by career goal and objectives in life
Submission Requirements:
§ High School transcripts
§ Two letters of recommendation including one from a teacher of the school attended.
§ A curriculum vitae identifying academic achievements and extra-curricular activities including community service
§ A short essay by the applicant highlighting career goal and objectives in life.
Award to recognize a youth (16-40 years of age) for community service in North America, Orissa, for service to OSA or Chapter, organizational leadership, volunteer work, capacity building etc. Presentation of these awards will generate interest in other youth to participate in community events.
A plaque and a certificate to be presented in a special OSA function or in the Annual OSA convention
Eligibility Requirements:
· Must be between 16 to 40 years of age,
· Must be an OSA member or belong to an OSA member family.
· Must be resident in North America
Nomination Process:
Nominator must be a member of OSA. Approved nomination form filled out with names of three referees one of whom may belong to the Chapter to which the youth belongs.
Award to recognize a youth for outstanding contribution in promotion of Oriya culture, literature, arts, music, dance etc in North America. Presentation of these awards will generate interest in other youth to participate in Oriya culture and OSA events.
A plaque and certificate to be presented in a special OSA function or in the Annual OSA convention
Eligibility Requirements:
§ Must be a High School student/ graduating High School student
§ Must belong to an OSA member family
§ Must be resident in North America.
Nomination Process:
§ Nominator must be a member of OSA.
§ Approved nomination form filled out with names of three referees one of whom, in so far as possible, may belong to the Chapter to which the youth belongs.
7. MEGHNA
MEMORIAL AWARD FOR CREATIVE WRITING
After the sad demise of Meghna Mahapatra, daughter of Santosh and Lipika Mahapatra, in a tragic road accident on 5th November 2005, members of the Michigan Chapter of the Orissa Society of the Americas have set up the Meghna Memorial Fund, managed by the Meghna Memorial Trust. This was made possible through generous contributions from many people, including Meghna’s parents. To commemorate Meghna and pay tribute to her creative spirit, it was deemed appropriate to institute the “Meghna Memorial Award for Creative Writing”. The Meghna Memorial Award was started in 2007.
There are two awards:
§ The Junior Award is for Children of ages between 7 and 12; &
§ The Senior award is for children of ages between 13 and 18.
The winner in each group will be recognised at the OSA Convention, receive a certificate, a check for $150, and a copy of the Souvenir issue in which his/her article is published.
Criteria for Selection
§ A panel of judges will look at all the writings by children in the Junior and Senior age groups will be judged for exceptional creativity and quality of writing. The formats and styles are wide open. Examples are poems, short stories, letters home from a trip, or just the child/youth’s view of the adult world.
§ Each contribution should not be more than four printed pages. Both Oriya and English writings are welcome.
Eligibility
All children of Oriya origin residing in North America (USA and Canada) in the age group of 7 to 18 are eligible to participate. The parents or children need not be members of OSA at the time of nomination.
Nomination Process
§ Writings can be sent in by children or their parents. .All articles submitted to the Souvenir will automatically be considered for the award.
§ Please submit articles by email to Mr. Bibek Das, Editor in Chief of Souvenir’2010 at bibek@hotmail.com or by mail to:
Editor-in-Chief, OSA2010 Souvenir, 2306 Lass Drive, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, USA
8. KALINGA YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD
This competition is intended to simulate education of business plan among youth of OSA. Individuals or a Team of individuals can submit business ideas. The judges function as venture capital investors deciding on which business venture they would most likely fund. The quality of the idea, and the clarity and persuasiveness of the written plan and oral presentation, all influence the judges’ decisions. Ultimately, the winning team should be the team in which the judges would most likely invest their money.
Nominations will be judged on the following aspects:
· Overall Presentation
· Market Opportunity
· Distinctive Competence
· Financial Plan
· Management Plan
This competition is done in 2 phases. Phase-1: Idea Submission, Phase-2: Idea Presentation.
The contact for this award is Mr. Ranjan Dash at RanjanKumarDash@GMail.com. Nominations and any questions/clarifications should be sent to RanjanKumarDash@GMail.com. To bring the best out of the team, feedback on the business idea (Phase I) can be provided before final submission of the business idea.
Nomination Process
Phase1: Idea Submission
(due date: 30th April 2010)
The Business Idea Competition is phase I of the
entrepreneurship competition. There is no format restriction and no prior
business plan writing experience is required. Submit a 1-page business concept
describing your business idea, its market potential and how you plan to bring it
to market.
Phase2: Idea Presentation
Three teams will be selected for Phase II
on the basis of Phase I submission. Teams will be asked to make a 15 minute (NO
extra time will be provided) presentation to be made during the annual OSA
convention. After the presentation, judges and audience will get 5 minutes time
for questions. There is no specific format. Presentation can contain any
information. Judging criteria will be based on the following.
§ Overall Presentation (40 Points): Materials presented in clear, logical order and/or sequence. Clear, interesting visual aids that help explain the business ideas and concepts. The pace and content of the presentation is appropriate for an investment audience, the judges’ questions are answered clearly and concisely.
§ Market Opportunity (20 Points): Clear market need presented, as well as a way to take advantage of that need. Meaningful examples and practical applications.
§ Distinctive Competence (20 Points): The company provides something novel and/or unique that gives it a competitive advantage.
§ Management Plan (10 Points): The team can effectively develop this company and handle the risks associated with the venture.
§ Financial Plan (10 Points): How are you going to finance? Financial prediction for 2-5 years.
Eligibility
The competition is only open to high school and
college going youth. Participants should be associated with OSA. There is no
restriction to number of members in a team.
Prize Amounts
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top two
winners of the competition.
First Place: $1000
Second Place: $750
Third Place: $250
Useful links
1. http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Write_a_Business_Plan
2. http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html