NARA's award programs exist to recognize the things that keep amateur radio going: young operators who put in the work, clubs that serve their communities, and the volunteers nobody sees.
Alfred Vail 20-20 Young Keyers Award
For operators under the age of 20 who can send and receive Morse code at 20 words per minute or greater. A license is welcome but not required.
- Applicants are contacted to schedule a live proficiency test: three minutes of sending and three minutes of receiving, with proficiency required in both halves, administered by a designated and approved examiner.
- Recipients receive a numbered certificate and an award packet.
- The award is named for Alfred Vail, who built the instruments and shaped the code that made the telegraph practical.
Apply at usnara.org/awards/alfred-vail-20-20.
Club and volunteer recognition
NARA also recognizes clubs and individuals for community service, public outreach, mentoring newcomers and supporting exam sessions and emergency communications. Recognition generally starts with a nomination from a member or a club, and program details are published on the awards pages.
If your club is doing something worth recognizing — a school program, a long-running net, an exam session that never misses a month — nominate it. Most of this work goes unrecorded because the people doing it do not ask.
Participating in NARA events
Awards are not the only recognition on offer:
- Club Week — a week-long, non-contest event built around clubs contacting clubs and exchanging QSL cards, with certificates and public operating as the point rather than a score.
- The National Presenters Panel — NARA's roster of speakers available to club meetings; presenting is itself a contribution, and clubs can request a presenter through the site.
- Volunteering — exam sessions, state and regional representative roles, wiki editing and outreach. See volunteer opportunities.
Membership is not required to be recognized
Applying for the Alfred Vail award does not require NARA membership, and neither does most recognition. Membership funds the work — the wiki you are reading, whatishamradio.com, the club directory and the exam and outreach programs — and members get the portal, the certificate and a vote, but the awards are for the amateur radio community, not for a subscriber list.