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IEEE PES Outstanding Chapter Award Submission Outline & Requirements

Submission Organization


OCA Submission shall be organized as shown below and submitted in electronic format.
  • 1) Executive Summary / Nomination (required)
    • 1.a – Executive Summary
    • 1.b – Region Representative Nomination
  • 2) Activities
    • 2.a – Technical Activities
    • 2.b – Educational Activities
    • 2.c – PES/Engineering Profession Promotion
    • 2.d – Student Activities
    • 2.e – Affinity Groups (WIP, YP, etc.)
    • 2.f – PES Conferences
  • 3) Membership Value
    • 3.a – Member Awards / Recognition / Nominations
    • 3.b – Member Advancement
    • 3.c – Membership Growth / Retention
  • 4) Chapter Operations
    • 4.a – Chapter Web Page
    • 4.a – PES Only (non-joint) Chapter
  • 5) Other Activities

Evaluation Criteria


  • Each chapter will be evaluated and scored using the criteria below
  • Credit for an activity will only be applied in one category. For example, a technical tutorial may be applied to either the Technical Activities section or the Educational Activity section, but not both.
  • Points will be awarded based upon quality, content and results in the various criteria areas
  • Maximum achievable points: 100
  • Chapter must meet Minimum defined criteria and achieve a minimum score of 45 points to qualify
  • 1) Executive Summary / Nomination
    • 1.a Executive Summary (required)
      Chapter Chair shall provide a one page Executive Summary of the OCA submission highlighting key activities, initiatives and accomplishments of the submission. This overview shall also include a listing of all Chapter Officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer).
    • 1.b Nomination Letter (required)
      A Region Representative must nominate the chapter for the Outstanding Chapter Award via a letter addressed to the Awards and Resources Chair. The nomination must clearly indicate support for the OCA submission along with a brief commentary on key activities.
  • 2) Activities
    • 2.a Technical Activities (16 points)
      May consist of meetings, tours, or full or 1/2 day conferences and must be on a technical topic. Full day conferences (if chapter organized and run) are considered as two activities. Chapter must have a minimum of four technical activities.
    • 2.b Educational Activities (10 points)
      Demonstrate educational focused program and chapter-sponsored activities. An educational activity is defined as an event which offers a tutorial, short course, lecture series, or other activity directly related to the education of its members. This can include technical, professional, business, project management, or other topics of interest to the chapter’s membership. Chapter must hold a minimum of one educational activity. Note: This section is not for student activities.
    • 2.c PES/Engineering Profession Promotion (7 points)
      Demonstrate activities focused on the promotion of the Power and Energy Society mission and objectives, and/or the advance the engineering profession. May consist of meetings or activities open to the public, news media, government, or other external groups focusing on relevant topics. Specific activities to help develop future engineers may be include here or in the Student Activities section (but not in both locations). Chapter must have a minimum of one activity in this area.
    • 2.d Student Activities (10 points)
      Demonstrate chapter support of student–related activities and development. This includes demonstrated activities with respect to IEEE Student Chapters at the college level and/or with students in grades K-12 (or equivalent) that support the PES objectives/topics or the engineering profession in general. Chapter must have a minimum of two student related activities.
    • 2.e Affinity Groups (WIP, YP, etc.) (8 points)
      Demonstrate a chapter YP (Young Professionals) program that is focused on increasing the number of PES members who have graduated from college in the last ten years. This could include awarding a chapter developed outstanding YP member award at the chapter level or adding a YP member to the chapter’s Executive Committee or other steps to develop PES YP membership. Demonstrate a chapter WIP (Women in Power) program that is focused on the WIP mission to inspire, engage, encourage, and empower women within the chapter. Examples include increasing the participation of women PES members in the various chapter activities, chapter committees, and chapter activities to promote WIP. Demonstrate other affinity group activities to promote a specific demographic or area of focus. Chapter must have a minimum of two affinity group related activities.
    • 2.f PES Conferences (7 points)
      Demonstrate chapter support and involvement in a PES recognized conference. Other local conference may also be considered. No minimum requirement.
  • 3) Membership Value
    • 3.a Member Awards / Recognition / Nominations (13 points)
      Demonstrate a defined program and activities to recognize contributions/support by chapter members. Activities include using the Chapter Outstanding Engineer Award (OEA), and/or other formal programs or events that recognize the chapter members/volunteers. Chapter should also nominate chapter members for various chapter, PES, or IEEE awards. Chapter must have a clearly defined recognition program/committee along with at least 2 recognition activities.
    • 3.b Member Advancement (5 points)
      Demonstrate a program to promote and achieve membership grade advancement (Sr. members, Fellow nominations). Provide details of the programs and statistics on number of number of advancement nominations / successes. As a minimum, chapter must have a clearly defined advancement program/committee. Measurable results will be a portion of overall points awarded.
    • 3.c Membership Growth / Retention (10 points)
      Demonstrate a chapter membership Growth / Retention program geared to increase the membership of the chapter. The program should include a plan and a set of actions to achieve chapter membership growth (or retention). As a minimum, chapter must have a defined program. Measurable results will be a significant part of overall points awarded.
  • 4) Chapter Operations
    • 4.a Chapter Web Page (6 points)
      The chapter must maintain an active PES chapter web page/site. The web page/site must include, at a minimum:
      1. A complete list of chapter officers including e-mail addresses
      2. Information on programmed activities including date, time and location of the activity, details on the activity, and the speaker.
      3. Details of past activities.
      4. Date of last update.
      5. A webmaster or other contact Chapter website must be maintained and be current throughout the year. The webpage must be accessible to all members through a link on the PES chapter’s website. [Please note that a chapter may use a section’s website with a defined sub-section for the PES Chapter activities.]
    • 4.b PES Only (non-joint) Chapter (3 points)
      Points will be awarded if the Chapter is a dedicated, PES-only chapter. This is to recognize a more PES-focused chapter and also take into account the opportunities afforded by a joint chapter (vs. a PES-only chapter) for more readily available volunteer resources, financial resources, speaker resources, etc.
  • 5) Other Activities, Overall Submission Subjective (3 points)
    • Details on other chapter activities not listed here may be provided and may be considered. The overall content, quality, and presentation format of the submission will also be scored in this criteria.

Summary — Plan To Compete for the Outstanding Chapter Award Now


Having committed chapter officers and a committed Chapter Representative is the first step toward winning the Outstanding Chapter Award. The next steps to be taken are generally as follows:

  • Know the requirements for the Outstanding Chapter Award.
  • Assign specific people for each criterion with responsibility for goals and objectives.
  • Organize and dedicate the chapter to “win.”
  • Establish deadlines and periodic reviews.
  • Implement and follow through.
  • Keep the Chapter Representative well informed of all activities.

Finally, give this award your best effort. With over 200 PES chapters, what an honor it will be to be selected as the Outstanding Large Chapter or Outstanding Small Chapter! But even more important, you will be justly proud of serving your members well. 

It is that easy! If there are any questions, contact the Chapters Awards and Resources chair at or your Chapters Representative.

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