IPMS LogoInternational Plastic Modelers' Society / USA

IPMS LogoInternational Plastic Modelers' Society / USA

IPMS LogoIPMS/USA

IPMS LogoIPMS/USA

This annual award is presented to the IPMS/USA chapter that best exemplifies the spirit and philosophy of IPMS/USA.

Documentation for this award may include, but not be limited to, such information as:

  1. A couple of key words here: PROMOTION and SERVICE. We want to recognize chapters that PROMOTE both the plastic modeling hobby and our Society. We also want to recognize chapters that provide SERVICE to their communities.
  2. PROMOTION EFFORTS - Don’t just say, “We promote modeling”. WHAT do you do? HOW do you get the “closet modeler” out of hiding? HOW do you encourage modeling as a mainstream leisure activity? WHAT do you do to actively encourage youngsters to begin building, or attract older modelers back to the hobby of their youth? WHAT are your organized promotion efforts? Don’t just tell us that you have mall shows- members sitting around talking to each other inside a corral of models is not effective contact with the public! WHAT do you do to make one-on-one contact with outsiders? HOW do you use local media - TV, newspaper articles, etc., to promote the hobby, and your group? WHAT programs do you have aimed at various age groups? ABC courses, Make and Take activities, public and parochial schools events, Boy, Girl, and Cub Scouts, church youth programs, veterans’ groups at VA hospitals, are all good possibilities-there are many others.
  3. IPMS membership within the club: Ten IPMS members in a club that has 12 or 13 total total members on its roster in a small city shows more commitment to IPMS/USA than fifteen national members of in a club of fifty in a major metropolitan area. WHAT increase in IPMS/USA membership have you achieved, and over what period? HOW do you actively recruit the non-members already in your group? WHAT INCENTIVES for IPMS/USA membership- discount local chapter dues, discount contest registration, extra raffle tickets, etc.- do you use? Show verification that all officers (or leaders, if no officers exist) and the Chapter Contact are IPMS members with their membership being active between April 1st and August 31st. This guarantees that the leadership of the local club are IPMS members at the time of selection and presentation of this award.
  4. COMMUNITY SERVICE - HOW do you support your community in other ways? WHAT volunteer work do members do? This doesn’t mean JUST making cash donations; while donating money to worthy causes is commendable, actually having members of your group participating in these activities (litter clean-up campaigns, volunteer work with charitable organizations, fund drives, etc.) is even better! An important point - helping to give self-esteem to a disabled veteran or a handicapped child, by showing them that he or she is capable of doing a complex task like building a model, will make your club look good. But the inner glow your members get will be even better! Don’t forget that the award is NOT about how well a collection of individuals build models; it reflects how well a group is functioning as a social unit.
  5. List of any chapter members who serve IPMS/USA as appointed IPMS Staff, such as Journal staff, Website staff, Forum staff, members of the Reviewer Corps, or other jobs of a similar and non-elective nature.
  6. Chapter support for IPMS/USA through sponsorship of individual membership drives, payment of IPMS membership fees, or membership incentive programs.
  7. Chapter support through the prominent placement of an IPMS/USA membership application within chapter publication and on its website.
  8. Hosting an MnT event, an ABC event, a contest which uses, for the most part, IPMS judging guidelines and category/class structures, a Regional Convention, or a national convention.
  9. Support of the Events gallery, the Walkaround gallery, the Member’s Gallery, and other “galleries” and “albums” that are hosted on the IPMS website.
  10. Participation by a chapter member, or by the chapter as a whole, in such IPMS initiatives as “Support the Troops”.
  11. Positive and cooperative relationships with chapters within their Regions, geographic area, and with the national level of IPMS/USA
  12. PRESENTATION - Now it’s important to remember that you must convince others - the E-Board - how good you are! In other words, your PRESENTATION can be as important as WHAT YOU DID! It is STRONGLY suggested that the WHOLE chapter get involved in this project. Some individual must have overall responsibility, of course, but at least several others should be involved in the actual writing and editing of the nomination. First, this will prevent details from being forgotten or overlooked; secondly, it will help prevent spelling and other errors. Don’t just saddle one guy with the project.

Previous Recipients

2021-22 IPMS/Centennial
Colorado Springs, CO
2020-21 IPMS Fort Crook
Omaha, NE
2019-20 IPMS Spartanburg Scale Modelers
Spartanburg, SC
2018-19 IPMS Chattanooga Scale Modelers
Chattanooga, TN
2017-18 IPMS Grand Strand Scale Modelers
Myrtle Beach, SC
2016-17 IPMS/Mid-Michigan Model Makers
Saginaw, MI
2015-16 IPMS Sonoran Desert Modelers
Tucson, AZ
2014-15 IPMS/Albuquerque Scale Modelers
Albuquerque, NM
2013-14 IPMS Northern Virginia
Fairfax, VA
2012-13 IPMS/Dragon Lady
Yuba City, CA
2011-12 IPMS Lt J.G Nathan Gordon - Central Arkansas Scale Modelers
Little Rock, AR
2010-11 IPMS/North Central Texas
Dallas, TX
2009-10 IPMS Livonia
Livonia, MI
2008-09 IPMS Georgia Mountain Modelers
Cumming, Georgia
2007-08 IPMS Manila
Manila, Phillipines
2006-07 IPMS/Ocala
Ocala, FL
2005-06 IPMS/Fresno Scale Modelers
Fresno, CA
2004-05 IPMS/Orange County
Orange, California
2003-04 IPMS/Alamo Squadron
San Antonio, Texas
2002-03 IPMS/Orange County
Orange, California
2001-02 IPMS/Niagara Frontier
Buffalo, NY
2000-01 IPMS/Niagara Frontier
Buffalo, NY
1999-2000  
1998-99 IPMS/Alamo Squadron
San Antonio, Texas
1997-98  
1996-97 IPMS/El Paso Scale Model Society
El Paso, TX
1993-94

IPMS Long Island
New York, MY

1992-93 IPMS/Gateway Chapter
St. Louis, MO
1991-92 IPMS/El Paso Scale Model Society
El Paso, TX
1990-91 IPMS Northern Virginia
Fairfax, VA
1981-82 IPMS/Gateway Chapter
St. Louis, MO

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