28+ Sample Nomination Letters

What Is a Nomination Letter?

Before the greatest people in history receive their awards, most of them still have to go through the nomination process to be worthy of recognition. The process involves a long list of candidates who excel in their respective fields. Then, the award-giving body committee will narrow down the full list into a shortlist. These shortlisted nominees are the ones who meet the criteria and standards set to acquire a particular award. Nevertheless, nominations do not only apply in receiving honors, you can also nominate someone for election to public office or a job opportunity.

There are various ways to nominate people—depending on the nature and context of the process. Nominations can be carried out through self-announcement, caucus, convention, petition, or deliberative assembly. Aside from these methods, you can also nominate someone by sending a nomination letter to a specific committee. This letter holds an essential role on the part of the committee since it will help them determine who is the most deserving individual to receive the award, scholarship, or position. We also refer to this type of letter as the letter of reference or letter of recommendation.

Formulating the Content of a Nomination Letter

Before schools grant a scholarship or admission, most of them require potential scholars or students to submit one to three letters of nomination. Typically, the guidance counselor or the teacher are the ones who write these letters for the applicant. Regardless of what the nomination letter is for, its lines should be compelling enough for it to serve its purpose. Outlined below are the statements you need to highlight in the content of your nomination letter.

A Straightforward Opening Statement

One of the most important rules you have to remember in writing is keeping the concision of your content—others are maintaining clarity, coherence, correctness, and completeness. With this in mind, you have to make sure that you start your nomination letter by being direct to the point. The first part of your content should directly inform the recipient about your purpose of writing the letter. After this, layout to the reader why the nominee is worthy of the award, position, scholarship, etc. Bear in mind that it is vital to keep your opening statement short and simple, so avoid writing more than one paragraph for this section. Simply give the recipient a gist of why the nominee will best fit the reward or recognition; you have the freedom to support your claims later on.

Strong Supporting Statements

After writing an opening statement, you should be able to provide a detailed explanation of why the nominee is worthy of something. Let’s say that you are trying to prove that the nominee should be the one who will receive the award. You have to state his or her accomplishments and describe what makes that person a cut above the rest. Moreover, you should also include the person’s qualities that match the criteria given. It is also important to provide details about what the nominee has done that created a positive impact on society or an organization.

An Appropriate Closing Statement

Every message should always end with a closing statement. For a nomination letter, this section may include what other people—apart from you—think about the nominee. Gathering the opinions of credible individuals such as an expert or a progressive leader will help strengthen the content of your letter. Lastly, you should keep in mind that it is not enough for you to say that the nominee is exceptional, you have to provide a substantial collection of evidence to prove your point.

Recognizing Talents Through Nominations

Recognizing talents and efforts will always create a positive impact on the personal lives of individuals. As stated in an article from Deloitte, over 80% of organizations are creating a culture of appreciation by implementing various recognition programs. In addition, a study revealed that recognition helps make 75% of employees feel satisfied with their jobs. Taking these figures into account, it is safe to say that recognizing talents plays an important part in motivating individuals.

There are countless ways to give recognition to outstanding individuals, ranging from simple awarding ceremonies to prestigious ones. In some cases, though, exceptional people from all over the globe have to go through nominations before they clinch the award. Regardless, most of them still consider it an honor to be a nominee, especially when the award-giving body is on an international level. Here are some of the most prestigious international awards recognizing different talents and substantial contributions to society.

The Nobel Prize: In Alfred B. Nobel’s will, he left a significant share of his fortune for the establishment of the Nobel Prizes. This international award recognizes people for their contributions and breakthroughs which “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.” Since 1901, Nobel Prizes were bestowed to the greatest minds in the field of physics, medicine, literature, chemistry, and economics. Aside from that, there were also Nobel laureates who received recognition for their relentless promotion of peace.The Pulitzer Prize: Established by a pioneer journalist, Joseph Pulitzer, the Pulitzer prize acknowledges individuals in the United States who excel in journalism, literature, or music. This particular award-giving body has 21 categories, which include fiction, history, local reporting, photography, breaking news, beat reporting, commentary, and among others. The winners of the said award will receive a $10 000 cash prize and a certificate or medal. Jean Jules Jusserand made a record during 1917 for being the first recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for history for his book entitled With Americans of Past and Present Days.The Booker Prize: Formerly known as the Booker McConnell Prize, the Man Booker Prize or Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards given to exceptional authors in the English speaking world. This British literary award recognizes the best original full-length novel every year. Although the works of fiction that are eligible for the prize are only those that are written in English and published in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the award-giving body still grants the reward to whoever deserves it regardless of their nationality.The Academy Awards: The Academy Awards is probably the most coveted award in the film or entertainment industry that both celebrities and ordinary citizens look forward to the prestigious ceremony. In fact, over 23 million individuals watched the live TV coverage of the ceremony in the United States. Popularly known as the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents this award every year since 1929. The organization recognizes individuals who made an achievement in both artistic and technical aspects of films in the entertainment industry. Furthermore, there are more than 20 categories for the Oscars; some of these are production design, cinematography, best picture, sound editing, visual effects, and documentary feature.The Grammys: Music has always been a part of our lives, so it is just right to give honor to artists who speak to our souls through their songs. In the United States, the Recording Academy presents the Grammy Awards to these extraordinary people in the music industry. Since it launched during the 1950s, the academy recognizes outstanding artists for their songs, albums, and performances.

How Can You Write an Effective Nomination Letter?

Although you are writing a nomination letter to recommend someone else for a particular award or position, you should still make sure that its content will be convincing enough for the recipient. For this reason, you have to take into consideration several factors in writing a letter, aside from making sure that it follows the standard structure. In this section, we have outlined the necessary steps you have to take for you to write a persuasive nomination letter.

Step 1: Know the Nominee by Heart

The key to writing an effective and strong nomination letter is knowing the nominee by heart. More than relying on your personal perspective of the person, it is important to learn more about them through speaking with them. You can also gather relevant information about the nominee from those who know them very well such as their friends or colleagues. Know more about their experience and their professional background.

Step 2: Do a Research About the Nomination

Apart from knowing the nominee, learning crucial information about the nomination also enables you to write the letter that is in line with the committee’s standards. Regardless of the type of nomination, you have to know the basis for judging, the qualities the committee or organization is looking for, the deadline for nominations, and the method of selecting the winners. Doing so will help you write a nomination letter that would give the nominee higher chances of bagging an award, acquiring a scholarship, or having the position.

Step 3: Remember the Structure of a Nomination Letter

Before you start writing the letter, make sure to organize your thoughts first. It would be beneficial to create an outline about which particular qualities of the nominee you will highlight in your content. Even if letters do not follow a standard structure, it is essential to include an opening statement, supporting statements, and a closing statement in your nomination letter. Moreover, you should also see to it that the letter consists of the key elements such as the return address, recipient’s information, salutation, body, and the complimentary close.

Step 4: Prove

It is not enough to merely state that the person you nominated deserves the award or the spot, you have to provide several reasons why he or she is the most suitable individual for it. Say, for example, that you are writing a nomination letter for the best employee. In this case, you have to elaborate on how the employee made a significant impact on the company and his or her contributions which paved the way for the development of the corporate entity.

Step 5: Proofread and Send

Like any written document, you have to make sure that your nomination letter is free from any type of errors. This way, you can create a good impression on the recipient. As you review the content of the letter, compare what you’ve written with the criteria set by the committee. The details you mentioned in the letter should match with the nomination criteria. If there is a need for you to eliminate unnecessary information, then don’t hesitate to do so.

When people work hard to reach for a goal, excellence that is worthy of recognition follows. Recognizing people’s achievements, however big or small, can boost their morale. One way to do so is to grant an award to these outstanding individuals. And even if you are not part of the organization that presents awards, you can help an individual get the acknowledgment they deserve by writing a nomination letter. However, the purpose of nomination letters is not limited to endorsing a candidate for an award. You can also pen this type of letter for recommending someone for a job, scholarship, or community involvement. Now that you know the fundamentals of this type of letter, writing one wouldn’t be a tedious task.