By Melissa Walker
Every year students and faculty are nominated for one of BYU”s most prestigious awards.
A Brigham Award is a university-wide award of excellence, said Heather Hollingshead, BYUSA campus activities coordinator.
“This award is a great opportunity to award someone who has made a difference in someone”s life,” said Winston Hill, program director of the Brigham Awards 2003.
The Brigham Awards have been around for 10 years, Winston said.
Anyone can be nominated, whether faculty or students; however, all recipients must possess Christ-like attributes and perform exemplary acts of service, Winston said.
“Anyone that makes your time here at BYU valuable and worthwhile can be nominated,” Winston said.
He said people who have graduated from BYU are still allowed to nominate people, but they themselves are ineligible to win the award.
Winston said nominations are due March 10, after which they will be carefully evaluated and narrowed down by the student panel.
Hollingshead said those selected then go to the complex committee, consisting of previous winners, who choose up to eight finalists.
“We figure last year”s winners are great judges because they embody what it takes to receive the award,” Winston said.
Winston said the number of finalists will depend on the number of qualified nominees.
A ten-minute spotlight presentation will be made at the Unforum on April 15. A video will be shown, highlighting each of the finalists and what they did to receive the award.
Winston said winners receive a statue of Brigham Young with their name inscribed on the front. They also are honored at a special luncheon banquet held in their honor with President Merrill J. Bateman attendance.
Anne Rumsey, director of student leadership, said the banquet is held to celebrate and recognize each finalist, by giving the specifics on how they have contributed to the university and community.
Brigham Awards are something that mean a lot to each of the recipients, Rumsey said.
The nomination forms are now available in hardcopy at the Information Desk located in the WSC and also online at byusa.byu.edu/brighamawards.
