OYM & DSA Program
The Michigan Junior Chamber’s Outstanding Young Michigander (OYM) and Distinguished Service Awards Program was started in 1955 to recognize outstanding community leaders age 21 to 40 years old from around the state of Michigan. Starting in 2014 the Michigan Jaycees Foundation will begin taking over the OYM & DSA Program.
The program honors up to five (5) Outstanding Young Michiganders (OYM) and five (5) Distinguished Service Awards (DSA) annually, who exemplify the best attributes of the state’s young people. Honorees selected in past years have represented the heights of progress in all human endeavors. Many have gone on to even greater achievements. All have continued to serve humanity in a great variety of ways.
Outstanding Young Michigander and Distinguished Service Award recipients will be honored at a Ceremony held on November 15, 2014. The ceremony will highlight each winner’s career in narrative form and provide a stage from which the honorees can challenge and inspire young people from around Michigan. For each honoree, there will be a video presentation profiling his/her accomplishments, followed by the trophy presentation, and an acceptance speech.
Young men and women may be nominated in one of ten categories for the OYM/DSA honor. A panel of distinguished judges will select honorees. Up to ten honorees will be selected from all nominations received, regardless of category entered.
The Outstanding Young Michigander award recognizes young men and women in the following 10 categories:
- Business, Economic, and/or Entrepreneurial Accomplishment
- Political, Legal, and/or Governmental Affairs
- Academic Leadership and/or Accomplishment
- Cultural Achievement
- Moral and/or Environmental Leadership
- Contribution to Children, World Peace, and/or Human Rights
- Humanitarian and/or Voluntary Leadership
- Scientific and/or Technological Development
- Personal Improvement and/or Accomplishment
- Medical Innovation
The Distinguished Service Awards recognizes young individuals in the following categories:
- One (1) Outstanding Young Religious Leader ‐ A Pastor, Priest, Youth Group Leader, Sunday School Teacher, etc.
- One (1) Outstanding Young Educator ‐ School or College instructor, etc.
- One (1) Outstanding Public Safety Officer – Law Enforcement Officer, EMT/Paramedic, or Firefighter.
- One (1) Outstanding Young Governmental Leader ‐ Demonstrates that “government should be of laws rather than of men.”
- One (1) Outstanding Young Farmer ‐ An actual farm operator, deriving a minimum of two‐thirds of their income from their farming.
Click Here to Download the Submission Form
For any questions, please contact the Michigan Jaycees Foundation at foundation@mijaycees.org.