The purpose of this award is to recognize individuals, groups, and organizations that have made the greatest contribution(s) toward advancing the art or practice of radio communications by Morse code.

Criteria - Candidates for the award may be one or more of the following:

• Authors of publications related to CW
• CW recruiters, trainers, mentors, coaches and instructors
• Public advocates of CW
• Organizers of CW activities
• Designers and inventors who advance the art or practice of CW
• Other contributors to the art or practice of CW
Note: The award is not limited to amateur radio operators and organizations.

Nomination
Nominations may be made by anybody (not limited to CWops members). Nominations should be emailed to awards@cwops.org with a copy to secretary@cwops.org . In order to be considered, a nomination must be received by the publicized deadline and include:

• Nominee's name, call sign (if applicable), and complete contact information including postal address, email address, and telephone number.
• A detailed explanation supporting the nominee's qualifications under the criteria set forth herein.
• Complete contact information of the person submitting the nomination.

Process
The Awards Committee ('Committee') is appointed by the CWops Board of Directors ('Board'). The members of the Committee choose their chairperson ('Chair') by informal vote.

Once a year, the Committee will submit an announcement requesting nominations for the award to major amateur radio publications, bulletins and email groups. The announcement will include a brief description of the award's purpose and criteria for grant, an internet address (URL) for obtaining further information, and the deadline for submitting nominations.

The Committee's Chair will forward copies of all nominations to the members of the Committee. Shortly after the nomination deadline, the Chair will convene the Committee to discuss the nominations. Generally, one award will be given annually; however, the committee may recommend that (for a specific year), either no award or more than one award be issued.

The Chair will submit the Committee's recommendations to the Board accompanied by copies of all nominations and relevant correspondence. The committee may also recommend the form of possible awards. The Board will decide whether to approve the Committee's recommendation(s) or to return the recommendation(s) to the committee for further consideration.

Committee members and Board members are excluded from participating in meetings at which their candidacy, or the candidacy of any organizations in which they hold an official position, is being discussed.