Alvin McDonald Award
New for 2026, the Alvin McDonald Award recognizes a young cave explorer for outstanding accomplishments.
Tips for Writing a Good Award Nomination
The Alvin McDonald Award is new for 2026. There will likely be several nominations with strong letters of support. There is an age limit of 25 or younger as of the November 15th deadline. The month and year of the birth of the nominee are required to be submitted with the main nomination letter.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
The main nomination letter should be at least two pages long and outline exemplary cave exploration accomplishments of the nominee that makes them a good candidate for the award. It is also helpful to have three or four or more letters of support – each about a page in length with personal insights - than the main nomination letter.
No matter how worthy the nominee is, if the main nomination letter doesn't include enough detail and a few supporting letters, it will not stand up to other nominations that do include more detail and more letters. Keep in mind that the Awards Department generally does not know the accomplishments of the nominee - so you have to show them via documentation, why your nominee is deserving.
