Gurd Rules and Guidance notes

The Gurd Award is for unstinting support over many years.

Rules

The criteria for the judging of nominations are that the individual nominee shall

1. have contributed through a member group significantly and selflessly to the practice or promotion of amateur theatre.
2. have received no financial payment or public recognition other than a normal programme acknowledgement.

A nominee need not be a registered member of a nominating group.
A member group may make more than one nomination, or may nominate two or more individuals jointly.

Nominations.

1. must be signed by two or more individuals holding office in a member group of Nanda.
2. must be accompanied by a citation of up to 200 words explaining the nature of the contribution the nominee has made to amateur theatre.
3. might provide evidence in an appropriate form of the nature of the contribution.
4. may be submitted at any time during the year, which, for the purposes of the award, will be deemed to end at 31 March.
5. should be forwarded to the Honorary Secretary in an envelope marked Gurd Award.

Nanda will appoint annually a panel of three or more to judge the nominations. It will not make public the names of those candidates not successful in any particular year thereby retaining them as eligible for consideration in subsequent years if the nominating groups wish.
The panel's decision will be made public at the End of Season Dinner Dance and presented either then, or later if the recipient is not present, along with the citation.

Notes of Guidance

1. In considering nominees, memnber groups are strongly advised not to consult with, or make public to, the nominee(s) that they are being put forward. To do so might lead to unfulfilled expectations or create an atmosphere not consistent with the spirit of this exceptional award.
Nanda will certainly not publicise a list of the nominations received since (a) it will be open to the Panel not to make an award in a particular year and (b) in some instances, and particularly in the early years of the operation of this scheme there may be several individuals who have contributed significantlY in an unsung way over a period of time who are deserving of recognition. Hence the reference to a resubmission of an individual in the following year or years.
2. All member groups are urged to consider making a nomination. In this way the groups will be demonstrating a measure of their commitment to, and involvement in, the work of Nanda. They will also be satisfying the expressed wishes of two people who believed deeply in the best traditions of amateur theatre and demonstrated this by their involvement in and commitment to the development of theatre in Nottinghamshire.
3. The form in which the nomination is made is not prescribed. We would not wish to specify the written word: a taped br recorded message would be acceptable (though we would need a covering note duly signed by two office holders, eg Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer etc).
4. The term 'citation' should not be taken as implying any mystery. It is intended to cover a whole variety of forms of submission at the heart of which will be a simple statement that the nominee, without any prospect of, or desire for, personal attention has contributed to the creation of live theatre. Immediately winners of Nanda trophies are automatically excluded from this award.
5. Since the award is to be made annually the special contribution of the nominee must have been made in that year particularly, even if he/she has been making the contribution for several years.
6. The Award Panel members may wish to ask questions about particular nominations but this must not be taken to imply any special consideration (ie any shortlisting).

Jul 05