Award Categories

Annual Awards Categories and Eligibility Requirements

Program Excellence Awards
Because Canada has a unique mixture of small and large communities, awards are granted according to population – for municipalities under 20,000 and those over 20,000.  Two awards are granted in each of three categories for a total of six awards.  The categories awarded are education, environment and innovation.

• Education Award
  The Education Award fosters the development of a library of educational materials for Canadian municipal administrators on subjects of specific interest to CAMA members. 
  
  Special Criteria for Education Award
  • A research paper that provides the complete substantiation of a basic premise.
  • A manual or workbook which outlines and details policies, procedures and practices for general or specific areas of municipal management.
  • A study in an area of interest to CAMA members that may not attempt the proportions of a research paper, but does undertake discussion, analysis and presentation of ideas and conclusions of interest to municipal administrators
• Environment Award
  The Environment Award recognizes the commitment of a municipality to environmentally sustainable governance, to protecting the environment and to combating climate change.  Awards are granted to programs, projects or services that have made a significant and positive impact on the environment.
  
• Willis Award for Innovation
  The Willis Award for Innovation, awarded in recognition of Jack Willis for his contribution to the CAMA, is presented for programs, projects or services that demonstrate exceptional innovation or meritorious initiative. 

Evaluation Considerations for all three awards categories:

Nominators for the awards may wish to take into account the following evaluation criteria (used by the Evaluation Committee) when making a submission:

• the extent that the program, project or service involves innovation, creativity and exemplifies a significant change;
• its impact on the profession of municipal administration;
• the potential a program, project or service possesses to enhance the practices of administrators elsewhere and the degree of their transferability to other local governments;
• the impact of the program, project or service  on the municipality and on the organization even if the innovation itself was not new to the profession;
• the sustainability of the results, their long lasting, positive, measurable effects on the success of the organization or milieu.