Know of someone who deserves to be honored! Have you considered nominating someone but were unsure how to go about it? Let’s see if we can answer some of your questions.
What does the AIFD® Awards Committee do?
The primary responsibility of the committee is to accept nominations and to carefully review each nomination to determine if it qualifies for a given award.
Can anyone submit a nomination?
No. Only AIFD® members in good standing and AIFD® Partner members are eligible to submit nominations for the awards.
Is there a deadline in which nominations need to be submitted?
Yes. The deadline for the 2024 awards is Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
What are the awards given by AIFD®?
• Award of Distinguished Service to AIFD® (AIFD Fellow)
• Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry
• Award of Design Influence
• Award of Merit – Industry
• Award of Merit- Non-Industry
Are all the different awards given each year?
No. There are years when only one award has been given due to a lack of “qualified” nominations or lack of nominations in general. Other years all the awards have been presented.
Are there specific qualifications for any given award?
Yes. Each award has what the committee considers to be “guidelines” it looks for when reviewing the nominations for any specific award. The committee diligently reviews each nomination submitted to be sure the nominee meets the awards criteria.
What is the criteria for the different awards?
Award of Distinguished Service to AIFD® – also known as the AIFD® Fellow Award.
This award is bestowed upon members of AIFD® in grateful recognition of extraordinary service to the Institute, upholding its goals and supporting its activities. The committee looks for very specific criteria to find examples of a nominee’s participation, dedication, and service at all levels within AIFD. This award is given to those who go above and beyond and have done so throughout their time as an AIFD® member.
Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry
This award is presented to an AIFD® member who has made a significant contribution to the floral industry. For this award the committee is not only looking at a nominee’s service within AIFD® but also throughout the entire floral industry. The committee is looking for volunteer a variety of examples in which the nominee has left an impressionable mark on the industry as a whole.
Award of Design Influence
This award recognizes floral design visionaries whose creative body of work has national influence and constitutes a legacy of innovation. The committee is looking for those whose creative work, over the years has significantly and positively influenced or changed the direction of American floral design. This award is not limited to AIFD® members and can be given to anyone within the industry.
Award of Merit – Industry
This award is presented to members of the floral industry who are NOT members of AIFD® but who are involved and have made significant contributions to the floral industry. This award can be given to an individual, group, or company. The committee generally review the nominee’s body of work and on-going dedication to the industry and how this nominee has supported AIFD®.
Award of Merit- Non-Industry
This award is presented to individuals outside the floral industry who are selected because of the personal or professional use of fresh flowers in such a manner as to be a credit to the floral profession. The committee looks at how the nominee has used flowers or promoted the use of flowers in their businesses, through public awareness efforts and to those who use their influence to bring awareness to the beauty of flowers.
Now that you have a better understanding about the AIFD awards why not consider nominating someone? The industry is filled with stars who shine brightly amongst their peers. Nominating someone is easy and done online. A link to make nominations will be available soon. The deadline to submit nominations is March 6, 2024.
