The Gold and Silver Medals are the highest two honor awards that can be granted by the Secretary of Commerce. Winners are recognized annually at a formal ceremony held in the Fall at the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. The medals are awarded to individuals, groups (or teams), and organizations. Individuals and members of groups each receive a framed certificate signed by the Secretary. Organizations receive one certificate to represent the entire organization.

Gold and Silver nominations must be submitted through the Honor Awards Nomination System (HANS), usually by March of each year. Each nomination must be vetted and approved at the Line or Staff Office level before final submission in HANS.

Note: In December 2005, DOC re-emphasized its commitment to limiting group nominations to 10 members and joint organizational nominations to no more than 3 organizations. Beginning in 2006, DOC will grant no exceptions to these limits of 10 and 3, respectively.

Links:

• Deadlines
• Gold/Silver Nomination Form
• Department of Commerce's Honor Awards
• Official Gold and Silver Medal Definitions
• Honor Awards Categories (Leadership, Customer Service, Heroism, etc.)
• Definitions of Individuals, Groups, and Organizations
• HANS
• Historical Information

Helpful Hints for Submitting a Nomination

Page last edited: January 16, 2008