Academy of excellence: saluting the industry's best with integrity.The Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence will celebrate its 15th anniversary in May with the presentation of its 2006 awards. Since 1992, the academy has honored exceptional design, innovation and service within the industry. Over the years, the awards have been recognized for their prestige and integrity. Achieving such status didn't just happen. In 1992, key members of FMG FMG 1 Foreign medical graduate, see there 2. Frequency modulation generator Publications began work on a new awards program for the industry, one where the honors would be based on merit, decided by individuals in the industry, not determined by an editorial board and not influenced by advertising. It was a radical concept and one that was met with some skepticism. "There were people in the beginning who challenged the very idea of the academy," said Tom von Rosen, FMG publisher. "That was our kind of challenge. We accepted." The Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence was born. Choosing which categories to recognize was easy, but deciding who would select the awards presented a challenge. The academy's founders made three important decisions: FMG Publications * will not have a vote, * will not release the names of academy members, * will not change the decision of the academy. "These declarations set forth in 1992 remain the foundation that supports the most coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. industry honor," said Randy Molde, academy director. Who Is The Academy? Once it was decided that every segment of the shooting industry would be represented in the award process, a select group of manufacturers, distributors, storefront dealers and outdoor writers was invited to join the academy. In keeping with the academy's principles, their vote would decide who would be honored each year as "best of the best." Today, the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence has nearly 500 active members who volunteer their time each year to recognize excellence. The director of the academy places a priority on maintaining a proper balance of academy members. "It's important for the integrity of the academy that no single group sways the selection process," Molde said. "We monitor closely who applies for membership in the academy so that it is balanced." Academy membership includes only individuals with industry affiliations. An organization can be represented by a maximum of two voting members. Individuals from independent advertising and public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most firms are not permitted academy membership. Nominations And Voting The academy uses a two-step nomination and voting process. Potential nominations for the academy's awards may be made by anyone associated with the shooting industry, including advertising and public relations firms. Manufacturers may submit their own products, one per category, for award consideration. Distributors and manufacturers also can nominate nom·i·nate tr.v. nom·i·nat·ed, nom·i·nat·ing, nom·i·nates 1. To propose by name as a candidate, especially for election. 2. To designate or appoint to an office, responsibility, or honor. themselves for deserving de·serv·ing adj. Worthy, as of reward, praise, or aid. n. Merit; worthiness. de·serv  ing·ly adv. accomplishments in the
service award categories.
"To be considered for a service award, which are the Manufacturer of the Year, Distributor of the Year, Citizenship Award and the Shooting Industry Award, which goes to an individual, applicants must submit justification as to why they should be nominated nom·i·nate tr.v. nom·i·nat·ed, nom·i·nat·ing, nom·i·nates 1. To propose by name as a candidate, especially for election. 2. To designate or appoint to an office, responsibility, or honor. ," Molde said. "It's not enough to just submit a company or person's name." Once the potential nominations are confirmed to have met eligibility requirements, they are sent to voting academy members for consideration. The academy is asked to select up to three nominees per category on the Official Nomination Ballot. "Academy members may not vote for themselves or in any category where their product is included. The top three vote recipients in each category are named the year's award nominees," Molde said. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Soon after the nominees are selected, a final ballot is prepared and sent to academy members for the final vote. They are asked to select one award recipient in each category. The results are kept secret until announced each year at a special reception honoring the year's top products, achievements and individual. This year, the awards will be presented in May at the academy's reception to be held in conjunction with the NRA NRA (National Rifle Association of America) organization that encourages sharpshooting and use of firearms for hunting. [Am. Pop. Culture: NCE, 1895] See : Hunting Convention in Milwaukee, Wis adv. 1. Certainly; really; indeed. v. t. 1. To think; to suppose; to imagine; - used chiefly in the first person sing. present tense, I wis. See the Note under Ywis. . "We present the awards in a special way that we believe honors the recipients and the industry," Molde said. "It's our way of saying thank you for a commitment to excellence." The 2006 Awards The academy is now accepting nominations for its 2006 awards. The academy will present awards in 14 categories. Eligible products must have been in production no earlier than February 2005 and prior to February 2006. "One product may be nominated per category and the nomination must be include photos and justification if it's for a service award," Molde said. "We must receive the nomination no later than Feb. 17, 2006, to be considered for this year's awards." Potential nominations should be sent to: SIAE, 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , CA 92128 or by e-mail to siae@shootingindustry.com. The academy is also seeking additional members to help select the 2006 Awards. Interested persons may apply on line at www.shootingindustry.com. RELATED ARTICLE: STANDARDS OF CONDUCT Since 1992, FMG Publications has invested significant amounts of time, energy and money to establish the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence as the standard by which all other awards are measured. Foundational to the Academy's success is the protection of the voting process, careful guarding of the Academy's membership, meticulous me·tic·u·lous adj. 1. Extremely careful and precise. 2. Extremely or excessively concerned with details. [From Latin met recordkeeping and painstaking pains·tak·ing adj. Marked by or requiring great pains; very careful and diligent. See Synonyms at meticulous. n. Extremely careful and diligent work or effort. adherence to the benchmark that the awards "are not for sale." To maintain these standards, the academy forbids the following: * No campaigning. No academy voting member or companies with voting members may campaign directly with other academy members in order to influence votes. Normal advertising and public relations campaigns are not a violation of the academy's Standards of Conduct, nor are such campaigns that may be directed at the academy as a whole. The violation occurs when voting academy members or companies contact other academy members in an effort to gather votes. * No vote trading. Since voting members of the academy cannot vote for their own company's products, voting members may consider "trading" votes with other academy members: "I'll vote for you, if you vote for me." This is a violation of the academy's Standards of Conduct. * No nomination of products that are not "in production." To be eligible for nomination, a product must be "in production" on or before the date established each year by the academy's director. It is important to understand that "in production" does not mean the product is available for shipping or for sale. FMG Publications will investigate reports of the violation of these Standards of Conduct. The following actions may be taken: * Direct Campaigning and Vote Trading: Individual voting members of the academy found to be in violation of these standards will be removed from the academy. Companies who are found to have encouraged or endorsed direct campaigning and/or vote trading will lose their academy membership and award eligibility for a period of five years. * Any nominated or award-winning product that does not meet the defined "in production" criteria will be stripped of nominee nominee n. 1) a person or entity who is requested or named to act for another, such as an agent or trustee. 2) a potential successor to another's rights under a contract. or award status with possible future award sanctions imposed on the offending company. RELATED ARTICLE: ACADEMY AWARD CATEGORIES Accessory of the Year Specialty Product of the Year Safety Product of the Year High-Tech Product of the Year Knife of the Year Optic of the Year Ammunition of the Year Shotgun shotgun: see small arms. shotgun Smoothbore shoulder firearm designed to fire a number of pellets, or shot, that cover a large target area after they leave the muzzle. It is used mainly against small game such as birds. of the Year Rifle of the Year Handgun of the Year Citizenship Award Distributor of the Year Manufacturer of the Year Shooting Industry Award RELATED ARTICLE: New Academy Brochure FMG Publications has released a new brochure on the academy. It reviews the academy's history, along with the nomination and voting process, and lists all the awards presented since 1992. To receive a copy of the brochure, send a request to the academy's office. The brochure, in PDF (Portable Document Format) The de facto standard for document publishing from Adobe. On the Web, there are countless brochures, data sheets, white papers and technical manuals in the PDF format. format, may be downloaded from the Shooting Industry Web site: www.shootingindustry.com. Click on the academy's logo on the homepage. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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