Members of the Bismarck Human Relations Committee reviewed the administration of the committee's Humanitarian Award and discussed related budget items, agreeing not to give cash prizes with city funds, to provide organizer-approved gifts or 'swag' for winners, and to move next year's nomination timeline earlier.

Committee members said notifying nominees — not just winners — had positive effects: several nominees learned they had been nominated for the first time and appreciated being informed. Members recommended formalizing outreach to nominees so that nominators and nominees are connected in advance of award announcements.

On awards administration, the committee agreed that city funds should not be used for direct monetary prizes; instead, winners may receive nonmonetary gifts or promotional items paid from the committee's existing budget line for swag. Staff noted that a line item for 'swag for winners' will be added to next year's budget.

Members criticized the numeric scoring system used to evaluate nominations, saying some readers reversed the scale (confusing whether 5 or 1 indicated the strongest nomination) and that a five-point scale made it difficult to rate impact. The group suggested reassessing the scoring rubric and question wording to make ratings clearer and more useful in narrowing finalists, while leaving room for committee judgment when awards overlap with organizational recognition.

Committee members also discussed moving the nomination window earlier — recommending February or March for a May award — to give committee members time to read, score and deliberate nominations. Several members volunteered to follow up with nominees and nominators to ensure photos and nomination details would be available for the awards ceremony.

On related communications and promotion, members noted they received less media coverage this year than in the prior year despite similar outreach efforts, and discussed whether to increase early outreach and media engagement next cycle. Staff will add a budget note for swag in next year's budget documents and return a revised scoring rubric and calendar to the committee for approval.