1. Purpose
The purpose of the Pickleball Nova Scotia (PNS) Volunteer of the Year Award is to honour those who have distinguished themselves as being a person who has made a significant contribution as a builder of our sport.
2. Establishment of Selection Policy
The policy is developed and implemented by the PNS Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has the power to amend the policy and the Board of Director’s interpretation of the policy will be final.
3. Volunteer of the Year
A Volunteer is an individual or group of individuals whose efforts as community leaders, administrators, officials, coaches, business leaders, media or in other roles has made an outstanding contribution to the sport of Pickleball.
4. Eligibility
Any individual(s) who has/have made an outstanding and extraordinary contribution to the sport of Pickleball in Nova Scotia. The individual(s) has/have demonstrated exemplary values and/or personal characteristics and makes a defining contribution to the sport of Pickleball in Nova Scotia.
Those who are professional promoters, sponsors or fundraisers are not eligible for consideration.
A Volunteer may be either active or inactive at the time of their consideration.
Any Nominee who has been nominated but not elected by the Volunteer of the Year Selection Committee (“the Selection Committee”) shall remain eligible for consideration for the next three consecutive years. After a period of three years of being nominated but not elected as the Volunteer of the Year that nominee’s name will be removed from consideration until nominated again. There will be a two-year waiting period before the nomination can be submitted again.
Nominations can be made posthumously.
5. Nomination of Candidates
a) Nominations can be made by any Nova Scotia resident.
b) Nominations can be made by members of the Selection Committee however each member cannot submit more than two new nominations.
c) Nominations shall be submitted to the Secretary of Pickleball NS, by using the PNS Volunteer of the Year Nomination Form and should include all the information pertinent to the record and merit of the nominee.
d) The deadline for nominations for any calendar year is midnight Atlantic Time, March 31st.
6. Selection Committee
a) The Board of Directors will appoint the members of the Selection Committee for a 3-year term on a rotating basis and designate a Chair of the Committee for a renewable one-year term.
b) The purpose of the committee will be to recommend nominees to the PNS Board of Directors for recognition as the Volunteer of the Year.
c) The Selection Committee will be comprised of five members and in appointing the members the Board of Directors shall take into consideration the importance of having representation from all regions of NS.
d) Appointments to the Selection Committee by the PNS Board of Directors may be made at any time to fill vacancies. In the event that a member of the Selection Committee is temporarily unavailable, a substitute may be appointed by the President of the PNS Board of Directors.
e) In an unavoidable circumstance, the Board of Directors can act as the Selection Committee.
7. Selection & Approval Process
a) The Selection Committee will meet within 45 days of the close of nominations.
b) Members of the Selection Committee will receive a copy of all nominations at least 30 days prior to the selection meeting.
c) Final selection of the recommended candidates will be determined by a vote of the Selection Committee, with each member holding one vote. A voting quorum will be a majority of the Selection Committee members appointed by the Board of Directors.
d) Each Selection Committee member will vote by using a ballot where the committee member lists, in order of priority, the names of the Nominee up to the number designated for selection. The ballots will be counted by assigning one point to the last nominee, two points to the second last, etc. with the successful nominees being the ones with the most points. Nominees who are tied shall have their names resubmitted for a second vote. In the event of a second tie, the chair will cast the deciding vote.
e) The Selection Committee Chair will forward the recommended inductees to the President of the Board of Directors for approval by the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Board or designate will notify each new inductee and the nominators of all inductees. The names of the Inductees will be publicly released after the notification of all the Inductees.
8. Confidentiality
Members of the Board of Directors and the Selection Committee shall not disclose the results prior to a Pickleball Nova Scotia public announcement or the particulars related to the voting and approval process related to any nominees.
9. Recognition
a) Volunteer of the Year will be recognized in each year at the AGM, although the award may be given out during the Provincial Championships.
b) Inductees will receive a commemorative award.
c) A biography for each Volunteer of the Year will be developed that recognizes their accomplishments and will be published on the PNS website, PNS Newsletter and if possible, posted in a permanent location.
Pickleball Nova Scotia 