Community Impact Awards

Southwest District Awards: Criteria & Guidelines

1. Single Service Excellence Award

Description: Recognizing a single, focused project that made a massive, measurable impact within your community.

Criteria for Submission:
– Must focus on one specific project completed during the current administrative year.
– Must demonstrate a significant, tangible benefit to the local community (e.g., number of people served, funds raised, or infrastructure improved).
– Submission must include a brief summary detailing the project’s goals, execution, and final outcomes.

Supporting Materials: Up to 3 photos of the project in action and any relevant data/metrics showcasing the impact.

2. Kiwanis Family Unity Award

Description: Celebrating the power of collaboration. This award honors a community service or fundraising project where students and their sponsoring Kiwanis Club worked hand-in-hand.

Criteria for Submission:
– The project must feature active, documented collaboration between students (SLPs/Service Leadership Programs) and the Kiwanis Club.
– Equal or significant participation from both the student members and Kiwanis members must be evident in the planning or execution.
– Can be either a community service project or a fundraising initiative.

Supporting Materials: A brief narrative explaining how the groups collaborated, plus photos showing both students and Kiwanis members working together.

3. Digital Storyteller Award Contest

Description: Showcasing creative promotional efforts that highlight the club’s mission and community presence.

Criteria for Submission:
– The submission must be a promotional video conceived and organized by the Kiwanis Club.
– While student clubs can assist with and be featured in the video, the project must originate from the Kiwanis Club.
– Videos must be no longer than 3 minutes and must be appropriate for public marketing/social media.

Supporting Materials: A link to the video (YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Drive) and a brief description of where/how the video was used to promote the club.

4. Community Catalyst Award

Description: Celebrating the club that has driven the most action in their area. This award goes to the club with the highest volume of service projects this year.

Criteria for Submission:
– Clubs must submit a complete service project spreadsheet or comprehensive list of all projects completed during the current administrative year.
– Each listed project must include the project name, date completed, and a 1-sentence description of the service provided.

Note: Projects must be distinct, separate initiatives to be counted individually.

Supporting Materials: A single CSV, Excel, or PDF document containing the finalized project log.

5. Kiwanis Next-Gen Innovation Award

Description: To recognize a Kiwanis Club that has launched an exceptional, non-traditional program designed to equip youth with critical, “future-ready” skills outside the standard academic curriculum.

Criteria for Submission:
– A club’s unique program must fall into one (or more) of the following modern pillars:

– Enterprise & Innovation: Entrepreneurship, financial literacy, investing, or business incubator programs.

– STEM & Future Tech: Coding bootcamps, robotics clubs, AI ethics, or digital literacy for underserved students.

– Trade & Practical Arts: Culinary arts, carpentry, automotive, or hands-on life-skills workshops (e.g., “Adulting 101”).

– Creative Leadership & Media: Digital filmmaking, podcasting, graphic design, or community advocacy and public speaking.

Qualifications & Terms:
– The “Uniqueness” Rule: The program must fill a specific gap in the local community that schools or other youth groups are not currently addressing.
– Active Learning: Programs cannot just be passive lectures; they must feature hands-on, experiential learning (e.g., building a robot, launching a mock business, cooking a meal, recording a podcast).
– Inclusivity: The club must demonstrate how they made this unique program accessible to diverse groups of students, particularly those who might not otherwise have access to these resources.

General Terms & Conditions for All Submissions

Eligibility: All clubs in good standing within the Southwest District are eligible to apply.

Submission Deadline: All entries must be submitted by July 25th at 6PM MST to be considered for review.

Review Process: Submissions will be evaluated by the District Awards Committee. Winners will be announced and celebrated live during this year’s District Convention!