Nominations are open for ARRL’s annual Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award, which recognizes and honors the efforts of individuals who create greater awareness and understanding the services and benefits that Amateur Radio provides to the general public. The deadline to submit a nomination is May 19, 2018.

Every day Public Information Coordinators, Public Information Officers, and other public relations volunteers strive to keep Amateur Radio visible in their communities by publicizing and promoting special events to the media, by maintaining good relations with local news outlets, and by creating content for social media, as well as many other valuable activities. These efforts benefit us all.

The award is named for journalist Philip J. McGan, WA2MBQ (SK), the first chairman of ARRL’s Public Relations Committee, who helped reinvigorate the League’s commitment to public relations. Unfortunately, McGan never got to see how well his efforts paid off. To honor him, his friends in the New Hampshire Amateur Radio Association joined with the ARRL Board of Directors to pay a lasting tribute to the important contributions he made on behalf of Amateur Radio.

The McGan Award will go to the radio amateur who has demonstrated success in Amateur Radio public relations and who best exemplifies McGan’s volunteer spirit. Activities for which the McGan Award is presented include efforts specifically directed at focusing the media’s and the general public’s attention on the value of Amateur Radio. This may include traditional methods, such as generating media coverage of a specific event, or non-traditional methods, such as hosting a radio show or being an active public speaker.

A candidate’s work must fit the definition of public relations, i.e., getting a message out to people. (Public service is about providing a service.) The McGan Award recognizes the promotion of Amateur Radio to the non-amateur community, not for work within a club or organization that primarily benefits the Amateur Radio community.

The award is given only to an individual, who must be a full ARRL member in good standing at the time of nomination. The nominee must not be compensated for any public relations work involving Amateur Radio (including payment for articles) and may not be a current officer, director, vice director, paid staff member, or a member of the current selection committee.

The specific criteria for nomination and the nomination form (in PDF formate) are posted on the ARRL website, or e-mail Dave Isgur at ARRL Headquarters and ask for an official Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award entry form. Past winners of the McGan Award are listed here.

Nominations must be received at ARRL Headquarters by May 19. The ARRL Public Relations Committee will recommend a winner, if any, to the ARRL Board of Directors, which will make a final determination at its July meeting.