Awards Criteria

Optometrist of the Year

The purpose of the "Optometrist of the Year" award is to recognize deserving individual optometrists for:

Service to the profession.
Service in behalf of the visual welfare of the public.
Service to the community at large.

Suggested criteria for the "Optometrists of the Year" are as follows:

Public service (service to education, community, religious organizations, etc.). (30 points).
Service to visual welfare of the public (sight-saving groups, visual screening, Head Start projects, etc.). (20 points).
Service to optometry (education and research, professional literary contributions, etc.). (30 points).
Service to professional societies (as an officer or committee chairperson in a professional society, participation in association projects, etc.). (20 points).

Young Optometrist of the Year

The purpose of the "Young Optometrist of the Year" award is to recognize deserving individual optometrists who have been in active practice less than 10 years, regardless of age, for service to optometry, the visual welfare of the public and the community, state or nation. Suggested criteria for the "Young Optometrists of the Year" are as follows:

Service to Optometry (optometric leadership roles, major accomplishments in leadership roles, initiation and/or implementation of any unique plan, program or action on behalf of optometry, published articles or research findings and fostering interest in optometry as a career). (40 points).
Service to the Visual Welfare of the Public (work with sight-saving groups or charities, participation in solo public service efforts to heighten the community's awareness of eye health and visual welfare, government programs to bring eye care services/information to the general public and/or disadvantaged groups and service on political committees or active support of legislative efforts to enhance the public visual welfare). (35 points).
Public Service (political service including holding political office, public health or military service, work in education including service on local school boards, leadership in community issues, participation in charitable causes and institutions, service with religious groups or institutions, etc.). (25 points).

Keyperson

Michigan Optometric Association members are eligible to nominate one member of the association to receive a “Keyperson" award. There are no specific written criteria for the “Keyperson” award. However, nominees are judged upon their contributions to the association and the profession of optometry over their years of membership with particular emphasis upon their contributions during the past one or two years.