Group of the Year Award

The SIGHT Group of the Year Award was established in 2019 to recognize IEEE SIGHT Groups committed to impacting their local community through the development or deployment of technology. The Groups selected have contributed to the SIGHT program by strengthening the SIGHT network, finding sustainable (economic, environmental, social) solutions, partnering with a local community entity, and completing all reporting requirements. The Groups consistently, actively strive to further the IEEE SIGHT mission.

The IEEE SIGHT Group of the Year Award has two categories – one for Student Branch SIGHT Groups and one for all other types of SIGHT Groups.

Group of the Year recipients will receive a certificate of appreciation and official recognition on the SIGHT website, social media platforms, the monthly Humanitarian Technologies (HT) newsletter, and in various printed and digital reports as appropriate.

• Submitted officer and event reporting via IEEE vTools
• Implemented a humanitarian technology and sustainable development project or a SIGHT Group activity initiative in 2024
• Completed all reporting requirements for any Tech4Good funded project the Group conducted
• Composed of at least 6 active IEEE members
• SIGHT Group Chair is an active IEEE member
• Conducted at least four Group meetings over the course of the year
• Group has been formed for at least one year
• Has not previously received the IEEE SIGHT Group of the Year Award for at least five years

Eligible groups will be evaluated based on their IEEE SIGHT volunteer participation and local community involvement, not on professional achievement. The award recipient will be recommended by the IEEE SIGHT Committee, and approved by the IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) Programs Committee.

At least one letter of endorsement is required, and may be submitted by the nominator. Letters of endorsement should be in English, on letterhead, and include the title and signature of the endorser. Endorsements may be submitted by a representative of the SIGHT Group’s parent IEEE organizational unit, such as an IEEE Section, or a representative of an external organization that is familiar with the Group’s activities.

Please note that if a member of the IEEE SIGHT Committee or the HTB Programs Committee belongs to a SIGHT Group nominated for the IEEE SIGHT Group of the Year Award, that Group shall be ineligible to receive the Award, per IEEE Policies. Any member of the IEEE SIGHT Committee or the HTB Programs Committee that nominates or provides an endorsement for a Group shall recuse themself from the decision process. Additionally, no member of the IEEE staff shall act as a nominator or endorser or be a candidate for any award covered by IEEE Policies 4.8 and 4.9.

All SIGHT Groups are required to submit event and officer reporting via IEEE vTools; the SIGHT Awards nomination form is required for Groups that would like to be considered for the IEEE SIGHT Group of the Year Award.

All Groups and are not selected as the Award recipient, will be entered in a raffle to win one of three IEEE SIGHT promotional item kits. Groups will be selected at random. Shipping limitations to certain countries will apply per IEEE Legal and Compliance policies on Sanction and Export Control Laws. Please see the official contest rules (PDF) for more information.

SIGHT Award nominations will be accepted from 20 February 2025 – 16 March 2025. All nominations must be submitted via the appropriate process on the HT online platform.

Learn more about the achievements of past SIGHT Award winners and how they made a difference in their local communities. Ready to be inspired?