Who is eligible for an award? 

Members of RBLS, as well as employees, are eligible for nomination. Legion Scotland shares its nomination procedure with Poppyscotland, so supporters and employed members of Poppyscotland staff are also eligible. 

Generally speaking, a person must have been involved with the organisation for at least a decade to be put forward. However, exceptions can be made if the person’s achievements are genuinely exceptional. Likewise, those who have retired from their position as staff or volunteer would generally not be considered, but exceptions can be made.

 

Who can submit a nomination? 

Anyone associated with Legion Scotland or Poppyscotland can make the nomination, but it must be endorsed by a leadership person from one of the two organisations. This includes presidents, chairpeople, secretaries, members of the National Board of Trustees and Head Office management. Such people can also originate and draft nominations.

 

Does the person being nominated find out? 

It’s important that those being put forward are unaware of the nomination. Do not discuss your planned nomination with them. If they are successful, they will find out soon, but not all nominations lead to awards.

 

How do I begin? 

The key first step is to provide RBLS Head Office with a typed, digital document containing a draft citation. The citation is the cornerstone of the nomination, and it must meet the requirements of the official Cabinet Office form. You can read and download that document here. Please submit completed nominations forms found here to Legion Scotland head office.

 

What should I think about when writing the citation? 

You don’t have much space to get your points across. There’s a long and short citation to be written, and you only have 3,000 characters (including spaces) to spread between the two – so every word counts. Use Arial, font size 9, and don’t use italics, bold or any other formatting tools. Keep things simple: speak in plain language. 

Your citation should cover, in this order:

• What is the primary achievement of the person you are nominating that merits an award?
• To what extent has this person been involved with RBLS or Poppyscotland or both?
• What are a few recent or current achievements of the nominee? Why do they deserve an award, and why do they deserve it now?
• What are this person’s individual contributions, characteristics or skills that set them apart from the crowd?

 

You should not: 

• Use hyperbole or exaggeration. Instead, stick to the facts.
• Be general with your praise. Instead, be as specific as you can, pointing to what this person did on a particular project, campaign or event.
• Place emphasis on personal illness, domestic issues or other individual circumstances that go beyond what the person has contributed to Legion Scotland or Poppyscotland. While these factors may contribute to your recommendation, the focus should always be on the person’s exceptional performance of their duties.

 

What’s my deadline? 

There are two deadlines for both Poppyscotland and RBLS to submit their final citations to the MoD. These dates are 31 March for the New Year’s List and 30 September for the following year’s Birthday Honours List. 

To ensure that your citations meet these deadlines, your document should be sent to RBLS and Poppyscotland’s chief executives by the end of the first week of March or the end of the first week of September, depending on which list you are aiming for. 

 

What happens next? 

The MoD will notify RBLS Head Office as to which submissions have been successful. If you nominated someone, you will then be informed of the outcome, whether or not an award is to be given.