The St. Maarten Youth Council Association has announced that nominations are now open for the 2012 St. Maarten Outstanding Youth Awards (SMOYA).
The SMOYA program recognizes and honors young persons between the ages of 6 and 21 who demonstrate the best qualities of St. Maarten’s youth. Eligible candidates should be a resident on St. Maarten for at least three years prior to the period under review. The 2012 SMOYA Award will review accomplishments between April 2011 and March 2012. Nominations are being solicited from schools, NGOs, sports clubs, churches, community groups and other organizations.
Awards are presented in nine categories: Academic Improvement, Community, Culture, Environment, Media Arts, Music, Personal Improvement, Scientific/Technological Development, and Sports. Media Arts is a new category introduced for this the tenth edition of the SMOYA Awards. This category recognizes accomplishments in graphic design, web design, video production and photography.
Nomination forms for the 2012 SMOYA Awards may be collected from the office of the St. Maarten Youth Council Association at the Rupert I Maynard Youth Community Center in St. Peters. For further information, the St. Maarten Youth Council can be contacted at 548-5022, 550-8971 or sx*************@ho*****.com.
ABOUT SMOYA
Purpose
The annual S.M.O.Y.A. program serves to recognize and honor young persons between the ages of 6 and 21 who demonstrate the best qualities of St. Maarten’s youth.
Why
The objective of this program is to encourage young people on St. Maarten to strive for excellence in everything that they do. It will also show that everyone has a special talent, and excellence is not based on academics alone.
Categories
Academic – This category recognizes an improvement in the academic performance of a student. Improvements should cover a 1-2 year period.
Sports – This category recognizes the individual’s involvement/excellence in sports, whether as a professional in his/her own right, someone who demonstrates good sportsmanship and/or someone who overcame difficult circumstances in their life to excel in this area.
Personal Improvement – This category recognizes a young person who stands out due to their fine character. This award recognizes the well-rounded individual and/or someone who has excellent characteristics in any area despite their personal circumstances.
Community – This category recognizes an individual who is involved in their community, whether
through an organization that promotes community togetherness, or working with younger children, senior citizens, or the less privileged.
Environment – This category recognizes the individual’s involvement in promoting the importance of preserving St. Maarten’s environment in terms of water conservation, cleanliness, preserving the beaches, marine life etc.
Scientific/ Technological Development – This category recognizes a young person who demonstrates their creative side in the areas of science and technology, such as the creativity displayed at various science fairs etc.
Culture –This category recognizes a young person’s involvement in cultural activities such as acting, arts & craft, the preservation of St. Maarten’s heritage such as steel pan playing, dancing, singing, or anything of folkloric nature.
Music – This category recognizes a young person who demonstrates a fine gift in musical performance whether through playing an instrument, singing, writing, producing and/or arranging.
Media Arts – This category recognizes a young person’s accomplishments in the areas of photography, graphic design, web design and video production.