The process is now open for members of the public to submit the names of individuals or organizations they wish to have considered for awards, under the National Honors Act.

Submissions could be done for one of the three societies of honour, which are further divided into grades and described in the National Honours Act as (1) The Most Distinguished Order of the Nation (2) The Most Illustrious Order of Merit and (3) The Most Precious Order of Princely Heritage.

In order to be considered for a national award the candidate being nominated should be 50 years of age or older.

The nominee, having met the age requirement in No.1, should also satisfy one or more of the following characteristics.

They should have demonstrated distinguished service, above and beyond the call of duty in his or her field of employment/career, be a model or good citizen with proven character, lifestyle, work ethics, and a habit of using his/ her own resources to the benefit of others.

A nomination may also be submitted for any company, institution, organization or social club which has rendered an outstanding contribution to the promotion, development, protection, or advancement of the arts, history or cultural heritage or humanitarian endeavors in Antigua and Barbuda.

As it relates to the guidelines governing the process of nominations and their consideration the National Honours Committee noted that previous entries which have been submitted without a positive response may be re-submitted for consideration.

Once received, nominations are considered for a period of three (3) consecutive years before being retired.

This does not prevent the re-submission of the nomination of the said individual after that period has passed.

Nominations must be submitted on the form entitled, ‘Nomination for a National Honour of Antigua and Barbuda’ providing as much detail as possible as to the work, projects or service rendered by the individual.

The final date for nominations for consideration for the 2023 Independence celebrations is August 31, 2023.