There are no state secrets about how the award recommendation process works in this Kingdom but neither are there a binding set of rules that each Crown follows. This is written to pull back some of the curtains to help you understand what happens behind the scenes.

How are awards selected? The reasons for when/where/why the Crown gives out awards are almost as numerous as the number of Royalty who sit those thrones. Below are just some of the things that happen in the decision-making process.

• Some Crowns have their own “personal” set of guidelines they follow to help guide them in determining which awards will be given but mostly it is a matter of reading through all the recommendations and making decisions based on what is in the recommendation and what they know, see and hear about individuals.
• Some Crowns will wait until specific events to give out certain types of awards. For example, The Crown may prefer to add members to the Order of the Red Company at a war practice event as opposed to an A&S competition. So, don’t be disappointed if the award you recommended is not handed out right away. It’s still in the database and The Crown may be waiting for a specific type of event.
• Some Crowns limit the number of awards to be handed out at an event to keep court at a manageable time limit, choosing instead to hand out some awards at other events where the recipient is planning to attend.
• Some Crowns may choose to put off giving an award until they are at an event in the recipient’s home group so that those who know the recipient the best can celebrate with them.
• Some Crowns have a “number of recommendations” guideline that they follow. The guidelines are not usually too tight and are often quite flexible, depending on the award and the person who is being recommended. For example, They may only need to see one recommendation for an AoA but require a minimum of two for anything higher, or three for anything that is Grant Level. Some may prefer to see a recommendation by a Peer for some types of awards. Each Crown’s guideline is different.
• Some Crowns may choose to hand out a different award than the one that was recommended. Perhaps someone is recommended for the Order of the Willow but The Crown recognizes the work as being appropriate for the Order of the Evergreen. Your recommendation simply reminded them of this person’s work and The Crown chose to give out a greater award.

Guidelines for you to follow:

• Use the awards database. Award recommendations that are submitted on paper or even in email to Their Majesties do not always get handed to the next set of Royalty. The database stays intact as the reigns change.
• Just because you submit an award recommendation does not mean that the award will be given. Your recommendation is advice to the Crown, not a directive.
• If you really think an award is deserved, talk with other people in your group and outside of your group to get their opinion. If they too believe the award is deserved, encourage them to submit a recommendation.
• Talk with your local Baron and Baroness about making an award recommendation. Part of their job is to keep The Crown informed of what is happening in the Baronies. Their recommendations will aid in getting the attention of the Crown when They go through the database.
• Don’t do gang-recommendations. If you and your friends all want to make a recommendation for someone and each of you submits a recommendation, you should each use your own words. Don’t just copy/paste the same text into each of your submissions. Some Crowns will count this as one recommendation.
• Submit all award recommendations at least 1 month before an event (there is a database lock-out that will prevent you from submitting a recommendation later than that). The Crown is preparing court lists 2-4 weeks before an event so that the scribes in the kingdom have enough time to make the scrolls. Late submissions may meant that the Crown may not see it.
• Don’t recommend yourself for an award (yes, it happens).
• If you believe your significant-other is deserving of an award, talk with others and get them to submit recommendations.
• Award-recommendation-swapping is evident in the database (“you recommend me and I’ll recommend you”).
• Get other people involved in making recommendations besides you and your buddy. It is evident in the database when the same two people are doing all the award recommendations.
• Be descriptive in your reason why the person deserves the award. Itemized lists are not necessary but some specifics are welcome because it helps to devise the text of the award scroll. It is also helpful to The Crown to include other information about the recipient that The Crown can use when speaking to the recipient in person in Their Court.
• When indicating which events you think people will be attending, take a little extra care to do some quiet investigating, especially as travel costs are on the rise and people are re-thinking how many events to which they may travel. Too many people are given awards but they are not in attendance at the events to receive their awards. It is absolutely the greatest pleasure of the Crown to hand out awards but disappointing when this cannot be done in-person as intended.
• You can look up the recipient in the Order of Precedence to see if they have already received an award and try to get the correct spelling of their name. This helps with the administrative side of the awards process.

Steps you can take to ensure others see the progress your friends are making in the martial arts, service, and in the arts and sciences:

• Ways to get others to make recommendations for those you feel deserve awards is to show off people to others, especially to the Peers of the Realm. Let the Laurels see the artwork of people who deserve recognition. Talk to a Pelican about the work someone is doing and point out that person to the Peer.  Compliment a fighter, fencer, archer, etc. to the Knights and tell them how they have improved in their martial art or in some other virtuous aspect of their art.
• Encourage the artisans to make gifts for the Royalty to hand out as largess (contact the current Royalty’s Chamberlain for ideas or suggestions) or as donations to auctions or as prizes for various types of competitions. Encourage the workers to volunteer their time/service to The Crown and The Kingdom (there is no lack of things that need to be done). Encourage the fighters to find worth in the single tournaments and melee tournaments that showcase the fighters (showing off their kit, their prowess, and their chivalry). This helps others, including The Crown, to see who these people are and help them to make their decisions about awards.