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Dear AJET members,

This year, National AJET would once again like to recognise some of the outstanding contributions to local communities which prefectural AJET chapters and individual AJET members have made over the past year.

Please get involved, and nominate the group or person you think deserves recognition for all the hard work they have done to support JETs this year. We would like you to send in nominations to awards@ajet.net for the following categories of award:

1. Most Active Prefectural Chapter
For the Prefectural Chapter that has provided the most outstanding service to its members and to the broader JET community across all areas of AJET activity. Some factors that are considered in selecting a winner include newsletters, community support, events, charity fundraising and good record keeping.

2. Most Improved Prefectural Chapter
For the Prefectural Chapter that has improved its service to members and the JET community the most over the course of the past year. Some factors that are considered include membership numbers and participation, increase in number and quality of events and services, and the state of the AJET Group in previous years.

3. Outstanding Special Interest Group

For the Special Interest Group that has provided the most outstanding service to its members and to the broader JET community across all areas of AJET activity.

4. Charity Award - Best AJET Group

For the AJET Group that does the most for charitable causes. Some factors that are considered include money raised, number of charities helped, participation of AJET members, and creativity demonstrated in fundraising.

5. Best Website or Web Community
For the AJET Group that provides the most outstanding online services to its members, possibly including a website, online magazine, or bulletin board.

6. Best Newsletter
For the AJET group that provides the most outstanding coverage of local events, lifestyle information, news and other content in newsletter format. Factors considered in judging the award will include readership, content, design, reliability and regularity.

7. Best Sports Event
For the AJET Group that has organised, in the past year, the most outstanding sports event or project. This could be a one-off event or an ongoing project, and factors considered in judging the award will include success in terms of effective budgeting, participation of JETs and others, effective management, feedback from participants, creativity and originality.

8. Best Local Community Event
For the AJET Group that has organised, in the past year, the most outstanding event or project that specifically targets involvement with the local Japanese community. This could be a one-off event or an ongoing project, and factors considered in judging the award will include success in terms of effective budgeting, participation of JETs and others, internationalisation, creativity and originality.

9. Best Inter-Prefectural Event
For the AJET Group that has organised, in the past year, the most outstanding event or project, of any sort, that has attracted significant numbers of JETs from outside the prefecture where the event was hosted. This could be a one-off event or an ongoing project, and factors considered in judging the award will include success in terms of effective budgeting, participation, effective management, feedback from participants, creativity and originality.

10. AJET Service Awards

For AJET Officers who have contributed outstanding service to AJET and the JET community, for example through representation, dedication, vision for the future, assistance at National AJET events, or support of peers. AJET Officers include National AJET Council Members, Prefectural AJET Council Members, and officers in Special Interest Groups, Language Groups and National Groups. This award is an opportunity for us to recognise those, who over the past year, have gone over and above the call of duty to provide excellent support to JETs and excellent service to AJET, as a whole.

All current JET Programme participants are welcome to send nominations to awards@ajet.net. The deadline for nominations this year is Sunday June 15th 2008. In your nomination please include your name, contact details, prefecture, the name of the group/person you are nominating and a paragraph about why you think they deserve an award. Please attach any relevant information such as copies of a newsletter, weblinks, event photos, etc. Thanks in advance for your participation! We look forward to reading about extraordinary efforts by JETs everywhere!

Andrew Cockburn
National AJET Council