Accepting the Challenge of Excellence (A.C.E.) Award
Club Submittal must be into District by April 4th
Important Dates
November 2024 | Club to provide program packet and nomination form to high school counselors in your area.
January 2025 | Send an email reminder to the counselors on your submission deadline.
February 1, 2025 | Club to send an email reminder to the counselors on the upcoming submission deadline.
March 14, 2025 | All Student Applications via PDF or electronic form must have been submitted to the Club for consideration by this date.
April 4, 2025 | Club’s to forward winning submissions to the CA/NV District A.C.E. Chairperson for CA/NV District Competition.
April 18, 2025 | CA/NV District winners announced.
April 2025 – Early May 2025 | Announce your Club’s honorees. Plan a special recognition for your honorees, inviting their families.
June 1, 2025 | CA/NV District A.C.E. winners are announced and submitted to the National Exchange Club for consideration by the National A.C.E. Chairperson.
June 7, 2025 | CA/NV District A.C.E. winners are honored at the annual District Convention in Irvine, California.
July 9, 2025 | The National A.C.E. winner is honored at the National Convention and awarded $15,000.
A.C.E. AWARD PROGRAM
The Accepting the Challenge of Excellence Award {A.C.E.) recognizes high school students who have dramatically changed their attitude and performance sometime during their high school years and now will graduate from high school. These students have often overcome significant physical, emotional, or social obstacles, yet few receive recognition. A partial list of difficulties to overcome could include physical, language, child abuse, delinquency, and/or substance abuse. There are three levels of competition – Club, District, and National.
Why Should Your Club Participate? The A.C.E. Award is a positive program with two essential objectives. First, it helps encourage students to overcome their hardships and get back on track toward a high school diploma. Second, the award recognizes those students who are often overlooked for their accomplishments. This special recognition is a powerful example to all students that hard work and perseverance pay off.
CLUB LEVEL COMPETITION
Participating in the A.C.E. Award program is voluntary. Each Club’s Board must determine its interest, the number of available scholarships it can offer, and the financial means to support the program. Refer to Club guidelines for more details.
DISTRICT LEVEL COMPETITION
Each Club can submit one female and one male Student from each school in their community. If your Students are selected as the CA/NV District A.C.E. Award winners, the students must provide a 5″ x 7″ high-quality photo in JPEG format for publicity purposes. The CA/NV District A.C.E. Award submission deadline is Monday, April 4, 2025.
The District winners will receive the A.C.E. Award plaque and a $2,500 scholarship. Students will be honored by attending the annual Convention of the California-Nevada District Exchange Clubs, held in June 7, 2025 in Irvine, California. The winners will be notified of the time and place before June 1, 2025. The winners must attend the District Convention. If a student is selected and cannot participate in the Convention, the first runner-up will become the winner.
Transportation expenses to the Convention and return at $.25 per mile (round-trip), one night (one room) hotel accommodations (room & tax cost only), three (3) tickets for the Friday evening district-sponsored dinner, and three tickets for the A.C.E. Award presentations will be the financial responsibility of the District at no expense to the local sponsoring club. The club chairperson must clearly explain the above financial considerations, and participants must agree with their understanding of these finances.
NATIONAL LEVEL COMPETITION
The CA/NV District A.C.E. Award winners are entered into the National Exchange Club competition. One winner will receive a $15,000 scholarship and plaque. The submission deadline for our district is June 1, 2025.
Click to download detailed directions PDF. (Please NOTE: This PDF contains the same information below).
The following will outline the submission process for the A.C.E. Award.
- The Club Chairperson contacts the Senior Counselor or Scholarship Chairperson at the High School(s) you have chosen. Provide the counselor with a copy of these instructions. Provide deadlines and stress placing the responsibility of completing the packet on the student. Provide extra copies for the students and their parents as needed so they understand their respective responsibilities.
- Have the counselor give the entry form or club URL to the students they believe to be well qualified. Only 1 male and 1 female may be submitted from each High School or the determined process by your club to choose an awardee. Give a deadline AHEAD of the District deadline, your phone number, and e-mail address where they can contact you if they need any clarification.
- Before submitting applications to the District Chair, be sure to fill out the CERTIFICATION & INFORMATION SECTION 5, and the contact information is completed by the club chairperson, student, parent, counselor or high school official, and club president.
- ATTACH THESE ITEMS TO THE IDENTIFICATION SHEET AND EMAIL TO THE DISTRICT CHAIR BY THE DEADLINE or submit via electronic form at https://calnevexchange.org/forms/ace-awards/.
- The District will notify you around April 18th if your student is chosen as the CAL/NEV District Male/Female
A.C.E. Award. You must, within 3 days, mail to the District Chairperson a 5×7 inch high-quality color photo (preferred format is a JPG submitted electronically) of the student. The photo will be used for publicity at the District and National Convention. The photo will not be returned. - YOUR WINNER MUST ATTEND THE DISTRICT CONVENTION! If your student cannot participate in the convention, the first runner-up will become the winner. So, make sure your nominee is able to participate in the convention when you submit their application.
- This year’s District Convention will be held on June 7th & 8th 2025 in Irvine, California. The winners will be notified of the time and place prior to April 18, 2025. The Award will be presented on June 8th, 2025.
- All Convention arrangements for the student and their chaperone will be the responsibility of the District
A.C.E. Committee, and the Convention Coordinator, Ken Owens, e-mail kaowens2@verizon.net. Please submit all questions to the District A.C.E. Committee. Do not contact the convention coordinator unless your student is selected as a winner and you have communicated with the committee chair first. - The District, not the sponsoring club, will reimburse the recipients for the following:
- Ground transportation expense only to and from the Convention at $.25 per mile (round-trip).
- One-room hotel accommodation with two queen beds for one night (room & tax cost only)
- Three (3) tickets for Saturday evening’s District Installation Dinner, and three (3) tickets for the A.C.E. presentations on Sunday morning.
- THESE FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS MUST BE EXPLAINED CLEARLY BY THE CLUB CHAIRPERSON AND PARTICIPANTS MUST AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
- It is your responsibility as your Club’s A.C.E. Chair to (1) have your winner’s mileage voucher ready to present to Ken Owens, the District COO when you arrive; (2) have all pertinent information about when the recipient and their chaperones will arrive, their names, and relationship to the recipient.
- The A.C.E. winner will each be entered, automatically, in the National Exchange Club A.C.E. contest by the District Chairperson. The other students will receive a consolation award from the District. Their names and club sponsors will be listed in the District Convention Program for recognition.
- The winners of the National A.C.E. Contest will receive their award at the National Exchange Club Convention held from July 9th to 13th. The winners must be able to attend the National Convention. National will make all travel arrangements.
Dear [Counselor’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well! We’re excited to announce that the materials for this year’s Accepting the Challenge of Excellence (ACE) Award program are now available. The ACE Award is designed to recognize high school students who have demonstrated a significant turnaround in attitude and academic performance, often overcoming personal challenges along the way.
What’s Included:
- Counselor’s Packet: Comprehensive information about the award, eligibility criteria, and guidelines for the application process.
- Student Nomination Form: Students and those nominating them for the award must complete this form.
How to Access the Materials: [Insert Link to Counselor’s Packet] and [Insert Link to Student Nomination Form]
We kindly ask that you share this information with students you believe would be great candidates for the ACE Award. It’s a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge their hard work and perseverance.
Important Deadline:
Please note that all submissions must be received by March 14, 2025.
We deeply appreciate your support in honoring these remarkable students. If you have any questions or need additional information, Please feel free to contact us.
Thank you for your continued dedication to your students’ success!
Best regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Title/Club Name]
[Your Contact Information]
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