All nominees are expected to attend the ceremony where the award winner will be announced. REALTOR® of the Year nominees are expected to attend the Annual Installation Banquet for recognition purposes among peers and leadership. These ceremonies take place at the Maryland REALTORS® Annual Installation and Awards Gala.
Winners will be announced for the following awards: President's Award, Shining Star, CARE (Community Action and REALTOR® Excellence) Award, REALTOR® of the Year (ROTY) and Community Service.
The REALTOR® of the Year (ROTY) Award—One ROTY application is required to be submitted by each local Board/Association to be entered in the Maryland REALTORS® competition. The winner of the state award will travel to National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Annual Convention for consideration in the national award. This award is submitted directly to your local board/association for consideration. DEADLINE: Contact your local association.
Introducing the new Maryland REALTORS® Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award!
We are excited to celebrate the incredible work our REALTOR® community is leading to drive an improved culture within the workplace as well as in the communities we serve. This award is designed to recognize those who have made significant steps towards creating a more diverse and inclusive community through the implementation of initiatives and/or programs reflective of Maryland REALTORS®. DEADLINE: June 17, 2023.
The Maryland REALTORS® Good Neighbor Award (formerly known as the Community Service Award)—honors individual REALTOR® members who give unselfishly of their time to assist the communities in which they live. Individuals can submit an application directly to Maryland REALTORS® and there is no limit to the number of entries submitted by local Board/Associations or firms for this award. All nominees submitted to local Board/Associations must be submitted to Maryland REALTORS®. DEADLINE: July 7, 2023.
This award is given to local board/associations recognizing achievements in community service and charitable actions. The award is designed to raise the profile of the REALTOR® organization by focusing on boards or associations that have demonstrated an extraordinary record through direct local board/association community service involvement. In 2015, the Award was renamed “William J Neary Jr Community Action and REALTOR Excellence Award” to honor the champion of this award, former Maryland REALTORS® President William “Bill” J. Neary Jr.
The award will be divided between a large board/association and a small board/association with the large board/association being identified as 1001 members or more on October 31, 2021. Charitable contributions and events executed from June 1, 2021 through July 20, 2022.
Each local board/association may submit one or a compilation of associations/boards community service projects for consideration. The submission should include a narrative up to 750 words describing the community service activities and a video. The video may not be more than 4 minutes in length and must be submitted as a YouTube or Dropbox link. All other formats will be returned to the submitting board or association and not considered for review. See Narrative Guide for full submission requirements. DEADLINE: July 7, 2023.
Ad Hoc Committee may annually bestow the Life Achievement Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the real estate profession and to the REALTOR organization. The intention is that recipients will be universally acknowledged among Maryland REALTORS® members as exemplary practitioners in the real estate and business communities. Conferring this award is not mandatory.
The Ad Hoc Committee is appointed by the current Association President and the previous year's recipients, which is chaired by the previous year's recipient (s) and includes 5 past recipients who are still active in the industry, 2 former Presidents who are not recipients and the Association's Immediate Past President.
The award is promoted to local Association/Boards AE's and local Presidents to solicit nominees. The Chairs of the Committee will appear before at the June Presidential Council and Board of Directors meetings to promote the award and request submission for nominees.
Criteria:
Deadline for submission is July 7, 2023.
The NAR Executive Committee established the Omega Tau Rho Fraternity in 1950 as a special association award for past officers. In the 1970's, membership in Omega Tau Rho was expanded to include REALTORS® of the Year of state associations, executive officers of local and state associations/boards with 10 years or more of service. Individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the real estate profession but who are not eligible under the qualifications listed above may be named honorary members by the Board of Directors for the National Association. There are approximately 4,000 members.
Once the Omega Tau Rho medallion is awarded, the recipient is a lifetime member of the Fraternity. This award recognizes exemplary dedication and service, and the high esteem in which recipients are held by fellow members of the REALTOR® organization.
Nomination Guidelines and Qualifications
The award is given to one of the following:
A president of a State Association of REALTORS®
A Director of the National Association of REALTORS®
A member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of REALTORS®
Local Associations/Boards may nominate a member by completing the form below and submitting it to Maryland REALTORS®. The award is presented at the Maryland REALTORS® Industry Awards Celebration.
The President’s Award is presented to a REALTOR® member with a minimum of five (5) years in the profession, who provides continuous, dedicated service to the industry to enhance the quality of the profession. Nominations for this award will come from Maryland REALTORS® committee chairs, leadership and staff and are open to those members who participate at the State committee level.
A call of nominations will be distributed in early June to local associations/boards and the Maryland REALTORS® officers, directors, committee chairs, vice chairs and staff. Nominations are due mid-July. This award will be presented at the Annual Installation and Awards Celebration. DEADLINE: July 7, 2023.
The Shining Star Award will be presented to a new committee volunteer who demonstrates outstanding commitment and enthusiastic support to Maryland REALTORS® programs. Nominations for this award will come from Maryland REALTORS® Committee chairs, leadership, and Staff.
A REALTOR® who has held membership in the state Association for a cumulative period of fifty (50) years is eligible for REALTOR® Emeritus status.
Upon approval of an application for REALTOR® Emeritus by the Board of Directors of the Maryland REALTORS®, no further payment of dues to the state Association is necessary by the local association/board of which the REALTOR® Emeritus is a member.
This dues waiver does not take effect until the dues year immediately following the Board of Directors' approval. A completed application is necessary to begin the approval process for state REALTOR® Emeritus status, which must be completed by the candidate's local association/board. Documentation substantiating the candidate's fifty (50) years of membership must be attached to the application.
Certification forms are due to the state association no later than one week prior to the winter meeting of the Maryland REALTORS® Board of Directors.
This award was established by the Maryland REALTORS® Executive Committee in 2007 to pay tribute to David E. Maclin, a graduate of the Maryland REALTORS® Leadership Academy. Criteria: A current Leadership Academy class participant who best embodies, "Cherish the Moment", the inscription David chose to reflect his 2006 presidency with the Prince George's County Association of REALTORS®. Each participant is to provide a brief statement as to why they were selected.
Awarding: Current Academy participants are instructed to complete a form which asks for a nominee's name and a brief explanation of why they chose the nominee, based on someone who embodies "Cherish the Moment". The award is presented during the Leadership Academy's graduation ceremony at the conclusion of the program each spring.
This scholarship was original created by Adam Cockey Jr. at the time of his presidency. Adam named the award after his first broker, W.(Bill) H.C. Wilson. The scholarship covers the Leadership Academy tuition costs for the recipient.
Criteria: The candidate should demonstrate: integrity, commitment to the real estate profession, professional demeanor, willingness to give time to the local, state and national associations, community Involvement, a high regard for the NAR Code of Ethics, a belief in continued learning; and a desire to lead.
All tuition must be paid by participants prior to the beginning of the program so the scholarship is offered as a "reimbursement" at the successful conclusion of the program. The scholarship recipient is kept confidential and awarded at the Leadership Academy graduation ceremony.