The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

NOMINATION submissions for National Honours 2026 will open on February 1, with the public invited to submit recommendations no later than March 31, according to the Advisory Committee for National Honours.

Nomination forms are now available online via the Bahamas Government website at www.bahamas.gov.bs, as well as from the Cabinet Office, Trade Winds Building, downtown Nassau, and the Office of the Administrator in all Family Island districts. Completed forms must be submitted to the National Honours Secretariat, located at the Cabinet Office.

Seven societies of honour are open for nomination. These are: The Order of National Hero; The Order of the Nation; The Order of the Bahamas; The Order of Excellence; The Order of Distinction; The Order of Merit; and The Order of Lignum Vitae.

Persons or organisations submitting nominations may indicate the area of service for which a nominee is being recommended. The Order of Lignum Vitae is reserved for young persons under the age of 25, while the Order of Excellence is reserved for foreign dignitaries or friends of The Bahamas who are not Bahamian citizens but who have made a positive impact on the nation.

All other societies of honour are open to qualified Bahamians.

Persons recommended for awards must be Bahamian citizens who have made a significant contribution to the building and uplifting of the nation, though some societies of honour — including the Order of National Hero, the Order of the Nation, and the Order of the Bahamas — are limited in scope to specific categories of persons.

The committee encouraged nominations to be drawn from a wide cross-section of society to ensure deserving individuals are not overlooked.

The committee announced during a press conference that nominations are being invited in accordance with Section 5 of the National Honours Act, 2016, which governs the process for the conferment of national awards.

Under the National Honours Act, regulations also provide for the award of medals, including Distinguished Service Medals for citizens of The Bahamas in recognition of exceptional service in the public service or civil society; Badges of Honour for persons in civil society who perform exceptional service to the country; and medals for acts of bravery undertaken in The Bahamas by any person.

The committee advised that nominees should not be informed of a nomination on their behalf, as the final decision on the conferment of awards rests solely with the Advisory Committee.

Nomination forms should be completed in full and, where possible, accompanied by a passport-size photograph of the nominee to assist the committee’s review process.

Members of the public may review the provisions of the National Honours Act, 2016 online at laws.bahamas.gov.bs, or obtain copies from the Department of Government Publications, located downtown Nassau.

Public announcements of approved awards will be made by the Governor-General on July 10, in accordance with the Act, with the conferment ceremony scheduled for the second Monday in October.

Speaking at the announcement, Fred Mitchell, who chairs the Advisory Committee for National Honours, urged members of the public to actively participate in the nomination process, noting that deserving individuals are often overlooked unless their contributions are formally brought to the committee’s attention.

“These awards are becoming more current and popular, but you still have people stopping you and saying, ‘Why didn’t you honour so and so? Why didn’t you honour this person?’" Mr Mitchell said. "It is a nominating process, and so if you know people who deserve to be nominated for these awards, then please do so, because then it comes to the committee’s attention.”