Balloting Procedure

The ACS National Awards Balloting process is now completed online. Members serving on the selection committee are provided with detailed instructions for completing and submitting their ballot through the ACS National Awards Online System.

1. For ballots with 10 or fewer nominees, each selection committee member will be required to rank all nominees. Incomplete ballots will not be tallied.
2. For ballots with more than 10 nominees, all selection committee members will be required to rank their first 10 choices. Incomplete ballots will not be tallied.
3. Generally, an award selection committee consists of five members. When a nominee receives a majority ranking of "1" (three of five votes), that nominee becomes the unanimous recipient.
4. If there is no unanimous recipient, the nominees with the two lowest numerical scores will move to a second ballot. More than two nominees may move to a second ballot.
5. If a nominee receives a majority of "1" rankings (three of five votes) on a second ballot, that nominee becomes the recipient.
6. If no single nominee receives a majority of "1" rankings on a second ballot, the nominee with the lowest numerical score becomes the recipient.
7. If there is a tie involving two or more nominees on a second ballot, the ACS President will select the recipient.