School Nutrition Association of North Carolina Awards Application

Instructions:  To qualify for the SNA Certificate of Achievement as a 100% Membership School, all permanent food service personnel in the school or administrative office must have an SNA membership number on December 31 of any given year. To qualify for 100% Certification, all permanent food service personnel in the school must be SNA Certified by December 31. Applications for certification after November 1 will not be considered due to processing time.
 
Applications received after March 1, 2027 will not be considered. You do not need to complete a separate application for 100% Certification. 

The SPIRIT Award recognizes an outstanding School Nutrition Supervisor who demonstrates strong commitment to the School Nutrition Program (and the students who ultimately benefit from the Program) through infectious enthusiasm, a “can do” attitude and a spirit of service to the program and the School Nutrition Association.

Criteria for Selection
The nominees for the SPIRIT Award exemplify their enthusiasm in the following manner:
S - Servant leaders who serve the program and the association with energy and enthusiasm
P - Passionate about the program and the students for whom the program exists
I - Inspires other to promote school nutrition
R - “Ready, willing and able” attitude
I - Innovative, looks for solutions instead of problems
T - Team player who values the contributions of others

Qualifications

1. Nominees must be an SNA-NC member for three years.
2. Nominees must be a School Nutrition Supervisor for a minimum of three months. 

Instructions for Completing Nomination Form

1. Complete and submit the nomination form.
2. Submit up to three (3) additional letters of support.

Judging
Prior to the SNA-NC Committee Day, the Leadership Development/Awards Chair of the School Nutrition Association of North Carolina will screen all entries to determine that they are eligible to be considered for awards. The Leadership/Development Awards Committee will select the state winner using a rubric based on the award criteria.

The North Carolina Lunch Bell Award for Radio and Television was established in June 1980, and the North Carolina Lunch Bell Award for Newspapers was established in May 1995 by the School Nutrition Association of North Carolina (SNA-NC).

The awards are presented annually at the SNA-NC Annual Meeting to recognize outstanding service in the interpretation and communication of nutrition education and/or school food services.

The Lunch Bell Award recognizes the tremendous impact of the news media on public awareness and understanding of:

• The importance of good nutrition and nutrition education
• The role of School Nutrition Programs
• The role of public schools in meeting the nutritional needs of students

The SNA-NC Leadership Development/Awards Chair administers the award according to criteria established by the Board of Directors.

RADIO & TELEVISION CATEGORIES
Outstanding programs, a series of programs, and/or continuous comprehensive educational coverage may be submitted.

Up to two awards may be presented:

1. Radio
2. Television

NEWSPAPER CATEGORIES
Outstanding photography, an article or series of articles, an editorial or series of editorials, and/or continuous comprehensive educational coverage may be submitted.

Up to four awards may be presented:

1. Metropolitan Dailies — over 50,000 population
2. Local Dailies
3. Weeklies or Biweeklies
4. Electronic Editions of Newspapers

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Entries may be submitted by:

• An SNA-NC local chapter
• An SNA-NC member
• The media organization directly

ELIGIBILITY PERIOD
Awards are based on coverage occurring during the one-year period: April 1 – March 31

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Each entry must:

1. Be supported by scripts and/or other appropriate evidence.
2. Include chronological documentation of spot announcements, interviews, news features, programs, articles, or other relevant coverage.
3. Demonstrate creativity, which will be considered during the evaluation process.

SUBMISSION FORMAT

• Radio & Television: Submit a link to the presentation or a printed copy of the coverage.
• Newspaper: Submit clipped copies of the published articles.
• Electronic Newspaper: Submit a link to the coverage or a printed copy.

SELECTION PROCESS
1. Initial Screening: The Leadership Development/Awards Chair will screen all entries to determine eligibility for consideration.

Entries will be evaluated based on:

• Continuing and comprehensive coverage
• Impact and influence of the material
• Excellence and accuracy of reporting and interpretation
• Creativity
• Contribution toward increasing public understanding of school food service and nutrition education

2. Final Selection
The Leadership Development/Awards Committee will select the state winners using a rubric based on the established award criteria.

The SNA-NC President and Executive Director will serve as consultants to the committee. 

 

Entry Rules:

1. Entries may be submitted by an affiliated chapter of the SNA-NC.
2. The awards will be based on activities for one year from April 1 – March 31, allowing both NSLW and NSBW themes to be covered in the same “school year” by the May 1st judging deadline.
3. Each entry must be supported by artifacts as supporting documents. (i.e. articles, scripts, clippings, photographs, copies of social media posts, etc.)
4. Entries should be arranged to cover the five categories of criteria - Legislation, Certification, Membership, Nutrition and General Chapter Activities, to facilitate the judging process.
5. Entries will be displayed at the SNA-NC Annual Conference and must be picked up at the conclusion of the conference. SNA-NC assumes no liability for entries left at display.
6. The Chapter of the Year Award(s) will be presented at the SNA-NC Annual Conference.
7. The First Place Winner will receive $100 for the chapter.
8. The Second Place Winner will receive $50 for the chapter.

Reminder: Please review your application before submitting. Use a separate submission for each award.