EMRA Awards Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How many awards may someone nominate or be nominated for?
EMRA awards fall into three general categories: Travel Scholarships, Project Grants (Local Action and Research), and Merit Awards (Resident of the Year, Academic Excellence, etc.)
Applicants are allowed to apply or be nominated for a maximum of three awards per cycle – one per category. If an applicant is nominated for more than one award in a category, he or she will be asked to select the award for which they would like to compete.
2. How long should letters of support be?
Letters should be long enough to adequately show strong support for the nominee. Additionally, overly lengthy and wordy letters are not necessary and only detract from the nominee. All letters should be less than five pages, single‐spaced, in a 12‐point Times New Roman font.
3. What if I know someone on the awards committee?
If a member of the awards committee knows an applicant who is being evaluated, the committee member must be recused from evaluating the entire category in question. Committee members must notify the awards committee chair and EMRA staff liaison as soon as conflicts of interest arise to ensure all awards receive impartial evaluations.
4. Is EMRA membership required to nominate or be nominated for an award?
It is not necessary to be an EMRA member to nominate someone for an EMRA award. All medical student and resident award nominees must be EMRA members.
Membership is favorable, but not required, for faculty and residency leadership nominees. However, a select number of awards, including Residency Coordinator of the Year, do not require EMRA membership, as the recipients generally are not physicians.
5. May I win the same award more than once?
No. Once an applicant wins an award, that applicant is no longer eligible to compete for the same award. For instance, an applicant may not win a travel scholarship for the SAEM meeting for any subsequent years.
6. How many letters of recommendation can I include in an application?
Only as many as listed in the award description – it varies per award.
7. Should I include anything extra in the application?
No. All awards have specific criteria that will be evaluated by the committee. Superfluous information or extraneous documents will not be forwarded to the committee for evaluation as part of the application.
8. How are late applications handled?
Applications must be completed by the deadline date. Exemptions to this rule may only be granted by the EMRA Awards Committee chair and EMRA president.
9. What if no one is nominated for an award?
In the event no applications are received by the award deadline, the deadline may be extended for two weeks, with notification to all EMRA members about the extension. If no suitable applications are submitted during the extension, the EMRA Board of Directors will select at least three suitable candidates for review by the awards committee, per the EMRA bylaws.
10. Can awards committee members nominate or receive awards?
Awards committee members must abstain from being nominated or receiving awards for a period of no less than one year from the time their service on the committee expires.
Committee members may nominate others for awards; however, they are not permitted to participate in the evaluation process for that award.
11. How do I submit my award nomination/application?
All award applications may be electronically submitted online, with supporting documents in .pdf (Adobe) format.
Complete Online Application
