Emerging Facilities Management Professional of the Year

Eligibility Criteria

Nominees: Nominees must primarily be early career facilities management professionals. Someone with around eight years’ experience or less in the industry. This includes any individual involved in the organising, overseeing, or coordinating the strategic and operational management of facilities in public or private organisations. Their role should support the effective functioning and stewardship of the facility’s physical assets, creating environments that are safe, sustainable, efficient, and productive for all occupants.

FMANZ membership: As of 2026, you don’t need to be an FMANZ member to enter these awards. We welcome nominations from across the wider facilities management community, and the judging criteria place strong value on your contribution to the FM industry as a whole.

For this award, non-members are required to pay an entry fee of $350 +gst.

If any member of the nominated team is an FMANZ individual or corporate member, please list their name, role, and membership number or status. This is optional and will not affect eligibility.

Submission requirements: Nominations must be submitted using this form, which is the official FMANZ Awards nomination form. You must address all judging criteria and include a signed declaration.

Judges’ decision: The judges' decision to accept or decline any nomination is final.

Ineligibility: Judges, awards committee members, and FMANZ Board members are not eligible to be nominated.

Nomination limit: An individual may nominate only one person per year in this category.

Awards celebration: If shortlisted, the nominee agrees to attend the awards celebration at their own expense. If unable to attend, the nominee must discuss this with the awards committee.

Self-nomination: Self-nomination is not permitted in this category, but we strongly encourage you to connect with the individual you’re nominating to help ensure your entry is accurate, well-informed, and truly reflects their achievements. This collaboration will give your nomination the best chance of fully meeting the award criteria during judging.

Judging process: The second stage of judging will involve a 45-minute interview, and nominees must be available for this. The timing of interviews will be confirmed as soon as finalists are decided. If the judges determine that no nominations meet the required standard, no award will be given in that category.

Referee verification: Judges have the right to contact referees to validate any information provided. References may be followed up, especially if multiple nominations are ranked closely. 

Nominee continuity: Once nominated, a nominee cannot be removed from consideration. If a nominee departs from the organisation, team, or project after their nomination, they remain eligible to be judged and to receive the award, except in exceptional circumstances as determined by the awards committee.

Guidelines for nominators

To ensure your nomination is clear, strong, and stands out, please consider the following tips:

• Eligibility: Ensure the nominee meets all the eligibility criteria outlined above.
• Answer questions clearly: Read each question thoroughly and respond clearly, concisely, and directly. The explanatory notes provided for each question will help you understand what the judges are looking for.
• Provide supporting evidence: Back up your claims with examples and evidence. Quantified data, such as percentage improvements or cost savings, will strengthen your nomination.
• Highlight innovation & service excellence: Where relevant, provide details about innovative practices, exceptional service delivery, or significant achievements.
• Avoid jargon & abbreviations: Use clear language and avoid abbreviations or industry-specific terms that judges may not understand.
• Proofread your submission: Ensure your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct.
• Adhere to word limits: Stay within the prescribed word limit. Judges will disregard any content that exceeds this limit.
• Provide comprehensive information: The judges will assess your nomination solely based on the information provided, so be thorough and don’t assume they know anything beyond what’s written.
• Supplementary materials: You are encouraged to include additional supporting information, such as client references, feedback, performance appraisals, financial data, surveys, project descriptions, etc. All supplementary information will be treated confidentially.
• Review your nomination: Before submitting, have someone review your nomination to ensure it reads well and answers all criteria clearly.
• One nomination per person: Only one nomination per person is allowed in this category.

By following these guidelines, you’ll give your nomination the best chance to succeed. Good luck!

If you have any questions please contact pam@fmanz.org

Please complete all mandatory fields as indicated by the red asterix.

Introduction: Summary statement about the nominee. (150 words max)

Provide a short, engaging overview of the nominee that captures who they are as an emerging facilities management professional and why they stand out. Highlight their key strengths, the impact they have already made, and what sets them apart as a rising talent. This summary will be used when announcing shortlisted nominees at the awards celebration and in associated publicity material.

The Role: Describe how the nominee’s role fits within the organisation, and why the nominee should be recognised as an emerging FM leader. (250 words max)

Describe the nominee’s role and how it contributes to their team and the wider organisation. Explain how they demonstrate capability, initiative, and potential as an emerging FM professional. Highlight what makes them an outstanding performer at this stage of their career and why they should be recognised as Emerging Facilities Management Professional of the Year.

Personal Qualities: Explain how the nominee’s personal qualities show commitment to facilities management and service delivery. Provide examples of how these personal qualities have helped deliver value to the organisation through development, innovation and leadership. (250 words max)

Describe the personal qualities that set the nominee apart as an emerging FM professional. Highlight how their attitude, behaviours and approach demonstrate commitment to facilities management and high-quality service delivery. Provide examples of how these qualities have contributed to positive outcomes such as improved processes, innovation, teamwork, or leadership potential. Explain how these attributes make the nominee an outstanding performer at this early stage of their FM career.

Achievements: Outline key milestones and outcomes achieved in 2025/26. What aspects of these achievements were noteworthy in context of the organisation’s type and the size of the facilities managed? What role did the nominee play in these achievements? (250 words max)

Describe the nominee’s key achievements over the past year and why they stand out in the context of their organisation and the facilities they support. Highlight specific outcomes such as efficiency gains, cost savings, service improvements, innovation or successful projects. Clearly explain the nominee’s role in delivering these results, including the actions they took and the impact they made. Focus on how these achievements demonstrate emerging excellence in FM and meaningful contribution to their organisation.

Development: Give examples of how the nominee has improved their performance and knowledge by professional development, learning, mentoring, experiences, etc. (250 words max)

Describe how the nominee has actively developed their skills and knowledge as an emerging FM professional. Provide examples of formal training, on-the-job learning, mentoring relationships, qualifications, or new responsibilities they have taken on. Explain how this growth has strengthened their capability and contributed to positive change within their team or organisation for example, improved processes, better service delivery, or increased confidence in handling FM responsibilities. Focus on how their development demonstrates initiative, commitment to the profession and readiness to take on greater leadership in FM.

FM Industry and FMANZ: Describe how the nominee supports and represents the FM industry in NZ through involvement in activities and groups that seek to develop and support FM (eg giving presentations, joining associated property groups, being involved in FMANZ committees and activities). (250 words max)

Explain how the nominee contributes to the wider FM industry beyond their day-to-day role. Provide examples such as participating in FMANZ events, joining committees or working groups, supporting branch activities, presenting at industry sessions, contributing to property or FM-related forums, or promoting FM within their networks. Highlight how their involvement demonstrates commitment to the profession, helps strengthen the FM community and shows leadership as an emerging FM professional in Aotearoa.

Mandatory supporting documentation:

Please provide at least one referee and up to 5 high-resolution images of nominee. 

• One headshot is required.
• Other images showing the nominee in action at work or engaged in FM-related activities.

Images should be clear, high-quality, and suitable for publication. Headshots should be portrait orientation; action photos may be landscape or portrait.

Disclaimer: By submitting photos you confirm that all subjects give their permission for their image/s to be used in awards promotion activity on FMANZ comms channels including social media.

Declaration

By submitting this nomination form, I certify that all information provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I permit judges to validate any information provided in this submission with referees provided and acknowledge that all information within the submission will be kept confidential.