Sponsoring a Climate Change Award is a wonderful way to encourage continued open debate and learning in the area of climate change research. It is also an opportunity for you to decide who to honor and in what fashion.

You may have already decided who to honor: a colleague or employee, a scientist you most admire, a civic or business leader who has taken the lead in the public debate, or an elected official who has the courage to speak out. The Heartland Institute asks that the person you choose be at the event at which the award is given, and that you pay any travel or honoraria that might be required.

Some of the questions you will need to answer include naming the accomplishment you wish to honor, who will make the presentation, and whether a cash stipend is to accompany the award. You need to decide if the award is to be represented by a plaque, trophy, or some other token of appreciation, and whether you will supply it or if you want The Heartland Institute to seek out one for you.

Some Housekeeping Notes

We are seeking proposals only for positive awards – nothing tongue-in-cheek or sarcastic. You need written permission from the person whose name is attached to the award, or from said person’s estate if that person is deceased. The Heartland Institute can choose to accept or reject any reward proposal

Awards must be given as stated in the proposal, no last-minute changes. Award sponsors agree to pay The Heartland Institute a fee of $1,000 to help offset staff time involved in making this solicitation, helping to create and present awards, and promoting the awards. If the award is to be annual rather than one-time, we ask for a four-year commitment and a $4,000 administrative/promotional fee.

For awards with cash stipends, we ask for a minimum stipend of $5,000. Thus, the sponsor of a one-time award would pay The Heartland Institute a fee of $1,000 plus $5,000 for the stipend, for a total of $6,000. If the award is to be an annual award, we expect a minimum commitment of four years at $6,000, for a total of $24,000.

You can designate people you know and trust to nominate candidates for your award, vet outside nominations, and vote to choose the award winner. This is typically done only for annual awards, not one-time awards. The Heartland Institute asks that you identify and confirm members of your nominating committee and inform us of its decision. Alternatively, Heartland can choose the winner or name a nominating committee.

Marketing and Promotion

The Heartland Institute can work with other organizations to publicize your award, but only if you are comfortable with the attention. Before the event, we can issue news releases announcing awards, discuss the awards in op-eds placed with magazines and newspapers, and include the awards in online promotions on our Web sites and in social media.

During the Ninth and Tenth International Conferences on Climate Change, we had poster-size images of awards and recipients on display in public areas, their images in the event program, and made announcements of award ceremonies during plenary sessions. After the events, we continued to promote awards with follow-up news releases, pictures and video posted on our Web site and shared with cosponsors, descriptions of the ceremony in op-eds and news releases, and in other ways.

For More Information

For more information about sponsoring a Climate Change Award, contact Jim Lakely at 312/377-4000 or by email at jlakely@heartland.org.