ARRL International Humanitarian Award nominations close December 31

Nominations close December 31 for the 2007 ARRL International Humanitarian Award. The award is dedicated to an amateur or amateur group devoted to promoting human welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur Radio.

The League established the annual prize to recognize Amateur Radio operators who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary service to others in times of crisis or disaster.

The ARRL International Humanitarian Award recognizes our unique role in international communication, and the assistance we regularly provide to people in need throughout the world. Amateur Radio is one of the few telecommunication services that allow people throughout the world from all walks of life to meet and talk with each other, thereby spreading goodwill across political boundaries.

A committee appointed by the League’s President recommends an award recipient to the ARRL Board of Directors, which makes the final decision. The committee is now accepting nominations from Amateur Radio, governmental or other organizations that have benefited from extraordinary service rendered by an Amateur Radio operator or group.

Nominations must include a summary of the nominee’s actions that qualify the individual or group for this award plus verifying statements from at least two individuals having first-hand knowledge of the events warranting the nomination. These statements may be from an official of a group (for example, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, a local or state emergency management official) that benefited from the nominee’s particular Amateur Radio contribution. Nominations should include the names and addresses of all references.

All nominations and supporting materials for the 2007 ARRL International Humanitarian Award must be submitted in writing in English to ARRL International Humanitarian Award, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 USA. In the event that no nominations are received, the committee itself may determine a recipient or decide to make no award. Please see www.arrl.org/FandES/field/awards/humanitarian.html to check the terms of reference and find the directions to follow for nominations. The award winner receives an engraved plaque, and is profiled in QST and other ARRL venues.

The last recipients of this award were the members of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands VU4RBI/VU4NRO DXpedition team who were selected to receive the 2005 ARRL Humanitarian Award. The team members included Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI; D. N. Prasad, VU2DBP; S. Ram Mohan, VU2MYH; R. Sarath Babu, VU3RSB, and D. Varun Sastry, VU3DVS. The board’s resolution stated that, “The group’s immediate actions and their use of Amateur Radio to render assistance to victims of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami while on location in the Andaman Islands are in the highest tradition of Amateur Radio.”

Chuck Skolaut, KØBOG