Nomination Procedures
Nomination Components
Additional Considerations
Nomination Procedures
- The deadline for nominations will normally be February 1st.
- Normally the nomination and selection cycle will be set such that selected nominees may be presented with their FCAP award at the Recognition Dinner held at the CAP Annual Congress.
- Any CAP member in good standing may nominate a CAP member who meets the eligibility criteria for an FCAP Award
- Nominations must be submitted using the CAP’s online nomination submission process.
NOTE: Recipients of the CAP Medal for Lifetime Achievement do not need to be nominated through the regular nomination process (see MfLA information in the Special Consideration section of the Program Details page for their nomination process).
- Although the CAP’s nomination system currently has an English-only interface, nominations may be submitted in either English or French. The CAP is committed to ensuring that applications submitted in either official language are treated equitably.
- The CAP commits to ensuring that those evaluating awards will have a thorough understanding of the impact of bias to take it into account while reviewing nominations. Click here to view the CAP’s full EDI statement.
- Supporting documents must be submitted as PDF files.
- Nominations are confidential to the CAP.
- Nominations are valid for three (3) nomination cycles.
- Upon submission, and each year of the remaining two years of the cycle, nominators MUST verify/validate that the nomination package is complete and up-to-date for the nomination to be submitted to the selection committee for consideration.
Nomination Components
Unless otherwise noted, a complete application consists of:
- The FCAP Nominator’s letter. The letter is to be written in no smaller than 11 pt font and is no more than two (2) pages in length. This letter clarifies how the nominee meets the eligibility criteria in the two categories for which the nominee should be considered.
- A Curriculum Vitae of the nominee that is written in no smaller than 11 pt font and is no more than eight (8) pages in length. It should specifically highlight the details of the nominee’s background that demonstrate how the nominee satisfies both the eligibility criteria and the evaluation criteria for each of the two contribution categories that form the basis for the nomination.
- Letters of Support and Recommendation. At least one (and no more than two) letters of support are required in addition to the letter from the nominator. Each letter is to be written in no smaller than 11 pt font and must not exceed two (2) pages each. These letters of support, in combination with the nominator’s letter, must make the arguments as to why the nominee merits consideration as an FCAP and support the strength of the nominee in each of the two FCAP contribution categories identified by the nominator. Nominators may solicit reference letters to provide a diverse range of perspectives, such as but not to be limited to, different career levels (e.g., supervisors, colleagues, collaborators, students).
- A citation of 25-50 words suitable for publication if the nominee is selected as the medal recipient, explaining the reason why the candidate was selected which can be used in the CAP’s announcement of winners. NOTE: The citation must be submitted in plain text format using cut and paste into the online nomination form.
Note to Nominators and References. When drafting your letter of support, please consider the following best practices (adapted from the Canada Research Chair’s Guidelines and Best Practices for Letter Writers):
- Be accurate, fair, clear, and balanced
- Support your points by providing specific examples of accomplishments where possible
- Avoid revealing personal information or referring to the private life of the nominee
- Be aware of implicit bias and avoid the use of biased language (more information on Limiting Unconscious Bias)
- Avoid making the letters overly personal by using formal and professional titles
Additional Considerations
At the time of submitting the nomination package, the nominator will be asked to specifically indicate the 2 contribution categories they have identified for the nominee as well as how the nominee meets the membership eligibility criteria (see eligibility requirements for more information; if unsure you can contact membership@cap.ca to verify).
If they wish, a nominator may open a nomination file and upload material as it becomes available, returning later to submit the remaining documentation. It is the responsibility of the nominator to ensure that they submit all documentation required by the stated deadline and validate that the nomination package is complete. For any nomination file that was opened but not completed by the deadline, or has some other identified deficiency, the CAP office will contact the nominator and provide them with five (5) business days in which to finalize their nomination package. If the requested information is not provided, incomplete or not in adherence to the requirements, the nomination will not be taken into consideration.
Once the nominator has submitted all of the documentation required and the file has been validated by the nominator as complete, the CAP Office will verify that the nominee meets the membership eligibility requirement and the FCAP Oversight Committee will verify that the nominee meets the 10-year physics experience requirement. The nominator will either be notified that the nominee has not met these requirements, or they will receive confirmation that the nomination will be submitted to the FCAP Selection Committee.
After evaluation, if a nominee is slated to receive the FCAP Award, both the nominator and the nominee will be notified by the CAP. The nominee will be asked to confirm their willingness to accept the Award (the letter will include the date/time of the recognition event) and will be asked to provide a short Bio and a recent photograph. If the nominee is not selected to receive an FCAP, only the nominator will be notified.
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