The Nominating Committee will solicit recommendations for Pioneers from the delegates. Nominees must have made a significant contribution to hand surgery nationally and internationally and be at least 70 years of age at the time of the next Federation Congress or deceased. The person must be recommended in writing by their society and may only be nominated following approval by the members of the governing board of the hand surgery society to which he/she belong(ed). Submission of an application for Pioneer must be accompanied by written recommendations from three of his/her peers.

The Secretary-General will call for nominations from member societies at least nine months before the date of the Congress. Recommendations must be received by the Nominating Committee Chair six months prior to the next Federation Congress. The Nominating Committee will choose the Pioneers who will receive the award at the Opening Ceremony of the next Federation Congress.

Nominations should be received by the Secretariat (administration@ifssh.info) six months prior to the triennial congress. The members of the governing board of the nominating society should agree that a nomination is appropriate according to the criteria and the guidelines listed below. The Society should send:

1. The “Pioneer Nomination Form” (refer to link below)
2. A letter of nomination, signed by at least two members of the society’s governing board, detailing the reasons for nomination;
3. Letters from three peers within the nominee’s society (other than the board members who have signed the society nomination letter), each detailing their support for the nomination;
4. An abbreviated CV of three pages (including date of birth);
5. A photograph; and
6. Contact details of the nominee (or family member if deceased).

The nominating society, if submitting more than one application, must provide the IFSSH with their ranking of their society’s candidates. This is to be sent in the cover email with the nominations.

The IFSSH Nominating Committee will assess the submissions against the criteria and guidelines listed below, and notify the sponsoring Society of its recommendations. This will occur with adequate time for the recipients of this honour to make the necessary arrangements to attend the Awarding Ceremony at the Opening of the following Congress.

Guidelines for the Nomination of a "Pioneer of Hand Surgery"

The following criteria should be assessed when considering a possible Pioneer nomination:

1. Exceptional ability to teach and train hand surgeons at registrar and fellowship level;
2. Significant contributions to basic hand surgery research;
3. Significant contributions to clinical hand surgery research;
4. Publications in peer reviewed journals which substantially add to our understanding of hand surgery;
5. Publication of chapters and/or books which made major contributions;
6. Involvement in outreach programs of significant importance;
7. Specific international contributions to promote hand surgery, such as involvement in Federation activities; and involvement in regional activities;
8. Specific contributions to promote hand surgery nationally, such as Society activities;
9. Visiting Professorships and invitations to lecture internationally;
10. Paper and poster presentations at International Meetings;
11. Preparation of video programs for teaching purposes;
12. Development of equipment and processes for clinical use or academic programmes.

This list is not exhaustive, nor must each nominee have excelled in all criteria. However, for the Committee to recommend the award of "Pioneer of Hand Surgery", the nominee must have made outstanding contributions.

The IFSSH Nominating Committee will limit the number of Pioneers selected based on the total number of Pioneers nominated for a specific triennium, taking into consideration

1. the candidates’ applications
2. the ranking of the Pioneers provided by the nominating society.

Pioneer Nomination Form