I. Definition of Terms
1. The Achievement Award is an annual award conferred upon a student or a team of students for:
a. performing with distinction¹ in international, national, or regional competitions sponsored by reputable organizations;
b. representing the school or country in international, national or regional conferences, congresses or similar events of major religious, educational, civic or athletic importance following a well-defined, competitive and documented process for selecting participants or representatives².
2. “Performing with distinction” in the context of competitions is defined as being adjudged:
a. among the top three in provincial or regional contests;
b. among the official winners in the final stage³ (e.g. final elimination round to determine the final group like the top 3, 5, 10, etc.) according to the format and related rules of the competition at the national or international level;
c. as recipient of special awards such as Special Jury Citation in film and animation festivals, best paper presenter in a research conference, etc.
3. Levels of Achievement Award refers to the calibration of the award into Gold, Silver or Bronze, respectively, for accomplishments in international, national, or regional/provincial competitions or related events.
II. Period Covered by Achievement Awards
The award is given for achievements made during the school year based on the Collegiate Academic Calendar prepared by the College Registrar’s Office and submitted to the Commission on Higher Education. For stability and clarity, the school year shall be generally reckoned from June 1 to May 31 for undergraduates or June 1 until two (2) days before the date of the Recognition Ceremony for graduating students during the 2nd Semester of the school year.
III. Eligibility for Achievement Awards
To be eligible for the award, a student must:
1. at the time the achievement award was made, be officially enrolled and has not exceeded the maximum residency period for the degree program being pursued;
2. at the time of recognition, not have applied for a secured honorable dismissal from the university, except for graduating students who are seeking admission in other institutions for graduate studies or another undergraduate degree;
3. not be a subject of an adverse decision in a disciplinary case during the school year; and
4. have secured permission to represent the school in the competition or related event, where applicable.
IV. Application and/or Nomination for Achievement Awards
1. Application by students or their nomination for achievement award shall be made following a process established for the purpose by the College Graduation Awards Committee which includes the submission of the following within set deadlines:
a. duly filled out application or nomination form
b. supporting documents pertinent to the achievement award
c. consent form4 related to data privacy (for applicants)
2. Misrepresentation in the application form and supporting documents may be a ground for disqualification for achievement award, without prejudice to imposition of other disciplinary sanctions pursuant to the provisions in the College Student Handbook.
3. Electronic submission of application and correspondence related to such applications will only be recognized by the GAC if done thru the university email system (i.e. official @gbox accounts).
V. Number and Levels of Achievement Awards
1. Achievement Awards shall have the following levels:
a. Gold: for achievements at the international level, regardless of ranking (e.g. first place/champion, special citation, etc.). The following are also covered:
a.1 Publication of research article in an indexed journal or conference proceedings.
a.2 Recognition of creative work (e.g. poem, short stories, etc.) by an international body or publication of creative work by reputable international publishing firms (e.g. in anthologies)
a.3 Granting of a patent for an innovative work.
b. Silver: for achievements at the national level, regardless of ranking. However, if the selection process for a national competition or conference and similar events involves a rigid multi-stage process (e.g. for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines), the silver may be elevated to gold level. The following are also covered:
b.1 Publication of research in a peer-reviewed (but not indexed) journal or conference proceeding.
b.2 Recognition of creative work (e.g. poem, short stories, etc.) by a national body or publication of creative work by a reputable publishing firm in the Philippines.
b.3 Granting of an intellectual property license other than a patent.
c. Bronze: for achievements at the regional or provincial level, regardless of ranking among the top 3. The following is also covered:
c.1 Recognition of creative work by a regional/provincial body.
2. A student may only receive one (1) Achievement Award in a school year regardless of the number of accomplishments which shall be based on the accomplishment that merited the highest level (e.g. Gold for achievement in international competition).
3. As the citation will cover details of the worthy accomplishments, students are encouraged to submit consolidated application but provide supporting document for each instance of achievement.
4. Students may submit addenda to their submitted applications to report additional worthy accomplishments but within the deadline.
V. Transitory Provision for SY 2022-2023
1. All students are given two school years (either this SY 2022-2023 or in SY 20232024) within which to submit a one-time application for the recognition of accomplishments made since June 1, 2028 in order to clear the deck of “backlogs” and set the stage for annual coverage of achievement awards beginning SY 2024-2025.
2. Once students have submitted their one-time application to clear their “backlogs” of accomplishments (either this SY 2022-2023 or by SY 2023-2024), their succeeding applications will have annual coverage. This means that any accomplishment that is not included in any previous application can no longer be recognized.