Awards Program

The 3905 Century Club has an extensive awards program including the basic membership award (100-Point Award), additional awards building on the basic membership award (known as Progressive Awards), a number of variations on the Worked All States Award, and many specialty awards designed specifically for The 3905 Century Club nets.  Awards applications containing ALL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS for each award are available thru the menu to the left.  The awards management and application process is described below.

Each of our Awards Application documents refers to this web page for instructions for applying for awards.  These instructions are:

Awards Fees

• Your very first 100-point certificate earned using your personal call sign is free. This applies only once per individual and is not retroactive. Club Calls and Special Event Calls are not eligible for free awards.
• Charter Members are exempt from the fee for any 100-Point Award. You must mention that you are a Charter Member when applying.
• The fee for awards earned by a personal call sign is:
  • For a paper certificate, the fee is $4 (USD) unless you are 65 or older or disabled, in which case the fee is $3 (USD). A one-time proof of age or disability is required and will be kept on file by your Area Awards Manager. Your best easily available documentation should be acceptable and you may blank out sensitive information such as driver license numbers or social security numbers. A Meedicare card is ideal!
  • For a PDF certificate delivered via email, the fee for all awards earned by a personal call sign (except the very first 100-point award) is $2 (USD).
• The fee for awards earned by club call signs or any other non-personal call signs is $4 (USD) for everyone.
• Endorsement Fees - Effective Sept 1, 2016.
  • The fee for endorsements is $3 for a mailed certificate, $2 for a certificate emailed in PDF format.
  • All endorsements to an original award that are submitted at the same time as the award they apply to are free. The standard fees above apply to the award, and a paper certificate will be mailed reflecting the highest level endorsement.
  • Any application(s) for endorsement(s) to an original award that are submitted separately from that original award, but are all submitted at ONE time, shall be considered a single endorsement to that original award and shall pay a single endorsement fee of $3 for a paper certificate for the highest endorsement level applied for, or $2 for a certificate emailed to you in PDF format. These fees apply per original award endorsed.
  • Single endorsements submitted at different times from each other, or from the original award being endorsed, incur a fee of $3 each for a paper certificate, or $2 each for certificate emailed to you in PDF format.
• Replacement certificates, other than to correct printing errors, are $4 (USD). Replacement certificates, whether for lost certificates or because you'd just like the latest certificate design, or for any other reason, will (to the best of our ability) contain the call sign in effect when you originally applied for the award unless you very clearly specify that the call sign currently assigned to you is to be used. In no case will our records themselves be changed to reflect new call signs.
• The fee for optional plaques varies and must be obtained from our Awards Secretary before applying for and paying for an optional plaque.
• Fees for multiple awards applied for at the same time, as well as any fees for plaques that are optional for some awards, may be combined in the same check, money order or PayPal transaction, but please do NOT include anything but awards fees.

Payment, Application Form and QSL Card Handling Instructions

• The following instructions for submitting awards applications are generic instructions intended to apply to all awards applications, though some items mentioned, such as endorsements and plaques, may not apply to all awards.  You must read each award document for the options applicable to that award.  You will need to refer to either the Club web site or to the most recent 100-Point Award or SWL Award application to determine fees applicable to all other awards.
• Although our Area Awards Managers don't change or move very often, you are strongly advised to check our Club web site to determine who your current Area Awards Manager is, and to verify his/her current address, before submitting any application for awards.  Failure to do so poses a risk, however small, of losing all the contents of your submission.
• ALL FEES RELATED TO AWARDS may be paid using a credit card via PayPal thru the Club website.  There is no surcharge for this service and if you choose this payment option, please understand that no payment information (credit card number or PayPal account details) ever passes thru our website.  The form you complete will take you to the PayPal site where you will enter payment information directly.
• If paying via PayPal, you must print a copy of the PayPal receipt showing your completed payment details and include it with your award application and QSL cards sent to your Area Awards Manager.  You may also pay by check in US dollars drawn on a US bank, or by money order in US dollars, both made out to The 3905 Century Club, Inc. and sent to your Area Awards Manager along with your application form and QSL cards.  DO NOT send cash.  All applicants not paying via PayPal must include a stamped envelope addressed to the Club Treasurer for forwarding your payment to the Club Treasurer.  DO NOT send any awards-related payments to anyone but your Area Awards Manager even if directed to do so by your Area Awards Manager!
• Awards applications and awards fees are to be submitted to the Area Awards Manager for the call area you live in, with only one exception.  The Master's Degree Award is the exception, with Master's Degree Award applications going directly to our Awards Secretary.
• Complete the application form.  Check it carefully to assure that each card used conforms to all requirements in the most recent PDF version of the applicable award document.
• Place your QSL cards in the order that you have them listed on the application form.
• If you are using a single card for multiple contacts, attach a sticky note (or other obvious flag) to that card with a note that it has been used for multiple contacts so your Area Awards Manager can find the card easily when checking your award.
• Make sure your correct mailing address, and email address, if you have one, are on your application and that all information requested is complete and legible.  If you request delivery of your award certificate in PDF format you MUST provide a working email address.
• To submit your application, enclose payment or proof of PayPal payment along with a stamped envelope addressed to the Club Treasurer if you didn't pay via PayPal, your QSL cards or clear photocopies of same showing all needed information (see details below), a suitably sized self-addressed container with adequate postage for return of your QSL cards if you want them back, and the completed application form; all in a container suitable for the protection of your cards.  Send all to the Area Awards Manager for the Call Area in which you live.  Your QSL cards WILL NOT be returned unless YOU provide the required postage-paid, self-addressed return container.
• Photocopies of QSL cards are acceptable toward ALL awards offered by the Club.  If needed information is on the back of a card, both front and back must be copied in a manner acceptable to your Area Awards Manager.  Consult your Area Awards Manager directly if you have questions about his/her requirements for photocopied cards.  Photocopied cards will be destroyed after the application is approved unless return postage is included.
• The postage for the return of your QSL cards must be applied to the return container, or enclosed separately.  DO NOT combine with the awards fee.  A separate check or money order made out to your Area Awards Manager, or postage stamps, are acceptable for return postage.  Postage stamps are highly recommended because they make it much easier to return any excess postage.

Processing Your Awards Applications

• Your Area Awards Manager, after checking your cards and approving your application, will enter the details of your award via our on-line award processing system.  This on-line submittal process enables your Area Awards Managers to process your applications for awards much faster and with greater accuracy.  All Awards Managers are using this system.
• Please keep in mind that some Area Awards Managers may still work long hours at their paying jobs and they may not be able to process awards every night—assuming they are even home every night.  But once they do process the award application through the on-line awards system, your award certificate should be on its way to you within a week or so.
• The most important thing you can do to assure the card checking and award approval process goes smoothly and quickly is to write legibly, then very carefully check your application for errors, carefully verify that each card meets all applicable requirements for the award(s) you are applying for, that the right cards are included, and that payment or proof of payment has been sent to Area Awards Manager along with your application form(s) and QSL cards.  You can also speed up any later correction process, if your Area Awards Manager happens to find an error, by including your email address on the application.
• Also, please remember that the volunteers who make our Awards Program work for you are all unpaid volunteers, as are all elected officers and appointees.

In Case of Problems

• Even as good as our Awards Team is, occasionally we all make mistakes.  Therefore, please contact your Area Awards Manager directly, including all details, if…
  • it has been at least two weeks since you mailed your application and you have not received your cards back, or received other notice from your Area Awards Manager that your award application has been approved or contains an error, etc.
  • there is a delay exceeding 2 weeks since your cards were returned (or notice of award approval received) and you still haven't received your certificate.
  • If you find an error on your new certificate, please report the details via email directly to our Awards Secretary.
• Suggestions—constructive ones—are always welcome.  After all, this is YOUR awards program.