The National Officials Committee has established six annual national awards to recognize outstanding officials in several key areas of officiating. Click on the links below to see past award winners and the nomination forms.
Nominations are solicited from members of the National Officials Committee in early August and may also be submitted by any other official. Nominations must be returned to the National Officials Committee Vice-Chair of Awards by the end of August. The nomination form for each award can be found on the page linked to the award name above. Nominations remain in consideration for three years; thereafter, they are removed but may be resubmitted by a nominator. All nominees must endorse the nomination to verify the validity of the contents. If there are more than ten nominees for the Bakjian award or five nominees for all other awards, the Awards Sub-Committee selects the ten or five names to be placed on the final ballot. The Executive Committee then selects the winner of each award, and presentations are made at the National Officials Committee “Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet” at the USATF Annual Meeting.
Each year the NOC Chair presents Chair Awards to recognize individuals whose support to the Chair and the Committee reflect their dedication and leadership and who have significantly assisted in helping the Committee to reach its goals. Click here to view the Recipients Gallery.
The National Outstanding Official Award allows associations to recognize officials for their dynamic officiating, contributions to the organization, and support to athletes. It is a national recognition for excellence at the association level and is in addition to any established association awards programs. Associations may designate up to five percent of their total national, master, and emeritus level officials for receipt of the award. Officials are only eligible for one award per Olympiad. The NOC Vice Chair of Awards advises Certification Chairs of the process each year.
The Officials Hall of Fame honors officials in the sport track and field, race walking, and long distance running who through outstanding and dedicated service have performed at the highest level and contributed significantly locally, nationally and, perhaps, internationally over an extended period of time. Nominees may be actively working, emeritus, or deceased. New honorees are inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony each year during the USATF Annual Meeting.
Nominations are solicited from the National Officials Committee, members of the Officials Hall of Fame, and others in the track and field community such as national sports committees or the Coaches Committee. Nomination forms are available here and are also sent to voting members of the National Officials Committee each summer.
Officials must have:
This can also include being appointed as a coordinator or administrator. The Hall of Fame being the highest honor we bestow, officials who are members of the Hall are not eligible for NOC Annual Awards. Click here to see details on the nomination process and the calendar of events and deadlines.
Click here to view the gallery of Hall of Fame members.