Awards

Trimester Awards

Your award submissions recognize our members and projects that have made an impact with their outstanding accomplishments. Award submissions show value to our members and appreciation for their contributions to our organization and communities.

Trimester Award Manual

Included in the Manual are a list of Trimester Awards, Trimester Due Dates, Explanations for each Award, and Our Creed.

Download Award Manual

Individual Awards First Trimester 2026

1st Trimester Award Submissions: https://form.jotform.com/252908451414153

For questions about Individual Awards contact Casey Siani at casey.siani@iljaycees.org

Project Awards First Trimester 2026

1st Trimester PMG Submissions: https://www.dropbox.com/request/rFIs0m0DhHVXOFr5zWFH

For questions about PMGs, contact PM Sarah McKillop at sarah.mckillop@iljaycees.org

Year End Awards

Year - End Awards should be submitted to the Illinois Submission Portal by 11:59pm on 12/27/2026. Award submissions are free for each chapter!

Reach out to 2026 Programming VP Jason Dick at jason.dick@iljaycees.org with any questions!

All chapters regardless of their current membership result for 2026 should submit an award. The State Team will evaluate each submission on a variety of factors. We will honor those projects and individuals that we select at the State Year-End Awards. Some of these winners will move on to national award consideration. Ignore the instructions on the top of the JCI USA Forms on the submission timelines. The State Team will handle submitting eligible awards to the national level for consideration.

Chapter Submissions

Chapter Submission Form -

Use this form to submit the chapter for a Year-End Award. All chapters are encouraged to submit a chapter award. Submitting in the Best Chapter Category better supports you if you choose to submit your chapter to win an Area of Opportunity (AOO) Award at the State Level. The State Recognizes a variety of chapters based on chapter size at the State Year-End Awards...so all chapters should submit so their work can be recognized!

Chapter Innovation/Visionary Award Form -

This award is presented annually to the local chapter which best exemplifies the JCI Mission and Vision through innovation against adversity. The award is creatively named from our 100 years of as an organization stemming from the vision of Henry Giessenbier in the 1910’s. See Award's Manual or JotForm for more specifics.

Member Submissions

Local Member -

Use this form for “Jaycee of the Year”, “Rookie of the Year”, or “Outstanding Family”.

Most Outstanding Local Members - John H. Armbruster Memorial Award

Most Outstanding Families - Andrew and Charlotte Mungenast Memorial Award

Empowerment Award Form -

This award is presented annually to the local members who best exemplify the JCI Mission and Vision through personal and professional growth outside of their JCI Experiences. The award is creatively named from our Mission statement and our underlying WHY as an organization. This award is based on the following criteria: individual’s impact on their personal growth and development; participation in training, orientation and development programs; participation in external (outside of JCI) community events; exemplification of JCI WHY

Officer Submissions

Local Officer Form -

Use this form for Local Presidents, Local VPs, State Director, Local Director, Treasurer, or Secretary. For State Directors, Local Directors, Treasurer, or Secretary leave the first question “for which award is this application for” blank. Remember that the State has specific categories for all these different positions which are slightly different than the national categories. You are encouraged to recognize all of your non-VP officers like Treasurer, Secretary, or Local Director so they can be recognized by the state as they have their own specific category at the state level.

Project Submissions

When deciding which category to submit a project into, use the project category document to

help you decide. You can only submit a project into one category even if they fit within

multiple areas. Think about the primary goal or purpose of the project. When judging the

project, the State Team may decide to move the project into consideration into a different

category if we feel it might better fit into a different category.

Before submitting a project, please review the Awards Manual to help you pick an award and

get tips. Reach out to Programming VP if you need help selecting a category.

NEW! Videos are encouraged as they are required for some national awards, but not required for state.

Videos must be in horizontal view. See the Awards manual or the State Year End Award Jotform for guidelines.

Project Submission Form

Use this to submit your single project entry (SPE).

JCI USA Award Manual (2025)

This gives you more information on the JCI USA Awards and how they are judged. This is a good reference to use to make sure you are including key points in the nomination form so they can be judged appropriately.