Nomination Procedures 1. All candidates must be nominated, and each candidate should be nominated by one or more individuals. 2. Nominations may be made by anyone ordinarily resident in Hong Kong. 3. Persons nominated may or may not be Hong Kong residents (please refer to 4. above under "Selection Criteria") 4. All nominations will initially be assessed by a Working Committee chaired by the Institute's Director, which will present to the Selection Panel a shortlist of candidates drawn up in accordance with approved selection criteria. 5. All nominations are to be treated with strict confidence. Members of the Selection Panel and the Working Committee will not contact any candidates nominated. Clarification of information pertaining to nominations, where necessary, will only be made through the individuals submitting the nominations. It will be the nominators who will decide as to whether the candidates should be informed about their nominations. Selection Criteria 1. Candidates should be professional teachers, serving or otherwise, who have performed formal teaching duties for a period of time during their career. Candidates may be professional educators engaged in teaching, or individuals with appropriate background who are associated with education in a range of capacities. Candidates may also be retired individuals who have a distinguished career characterized by all or some of the aforementioned criteria. 2. Candidates' achievements are measured by the impact and dimensions of their work in instigating learning as a powerful and vital means of producing valuable individuals who in turn will contribute, in their different ways, towards our community's development in the social, cultural or intellectual contexts. Their achievements may well exemplify the Institute's vision of " Optimizing Each Child's Potential Through the Shared Joy of Learning and Teaching". 3. Candidates should have made a significant, positive impact on the learning and/or teaching culture of the Hong Kong education system in their own respective sectors, or they should preferably have a strong track record in community service that is closely related to education issues. 4. Though highly preferable, candidates may not necessarily be Hong Kong residents, as the concept of "Outstanding Educator" is not limited by geographic or national boundaries. However, the strong relevance of the candidates' achievements to the Hong Kong situation will be a key consideration in the selection process.