Does your lodge have an interest in Masonic Awareness? You bet it does! So do we at the Masonic Information Center. In fact, MIC feels strongly that those lodges, which seriously support Masonic Awareness both within the lodge and throughout the community, deserve to be recognized. Additionally, these lodges need an opportunity to share their views and accomplishments with other lodges across North America, building a forum of Masons committed to a strong Masonic fraternity today and into the future.

Based upon this understanding, it is with great pride that the Masonic Information Center announces a new award – to be called the Twain Award – to honor lodge achievement in Masonic Awareness. Participation in the Twain Award competition is a journey enhanced through learning, doing, and networking.

The Twain Award offers another step toward actualizing the Grand Masters’ call in 2004 for an MIC initiated public awareness program. The first step was the report, It’s about Time! that can be used a resource for Twain Award participants. Full details are available on this website.

We heartily invite your lodge to participate in this important effort to broaden and strengthen our Masonic identity and to do so with energy and creativity.

Good luck and best wishes!
MIC

CONTACT: msana@ix.netcom.com

IT’S ABOUT TIME!

Following the report It’s About Time: Moving Masonry into the 21st Century, the Masonic Information Center (MIC) initiated the annual Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award as the next step towards achieving our greatest challenges:

To heighten Masonic identity
To restore the energy of Masonry within the lodge and throughout the greater community

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AWARD OVERVIEW

ENERGY * INNOVATION * CREATIVITY

GOAL: Based on the Masonic Information Center’s (MIC) commitment to improving Masonic public awareness, MIC introduces The Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award to recognize lodges that have demonstrated exemplary work in constructing a positive Masonic identity within the lodge and for the local community.

BROTHER BY BROTHER, LODGE BY LODGE…

WHO: Regular lodges throughout North America are invited to participate in a competition that evaluates initiatives and activities that create a positive Masonic identity in the community.

WHAT: The Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Awards are presented annually to the lodges that demonstrate exceptional commitment to Freemasonry's philosophy of self-improvement and enlightenment.

WHY: Awards are made to the participating lodges that, in the evaluation of the MIC Task Force, have successfully addressed the challenges of improving Masonic Awareness within both the lodge and the community and that the brothers have done so with exemplary skill, creativity, and resourcefulness.

WHEN: The MIC announces the winners of the Mark Twain Award once a year at the Grand Master’s Conference.

HOW: The Masonic Information Center uses the opportunity of the Twain Award to establish a participant forum to improve the flow of educational information and success strategies among brothers.

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TWAIN AWARD PARTICIPANT FORUM

MIC invites lodges to submit a brief contact form to join the Twain award participant forum. This MIC-sponsored communications forum is designed to bring lodges into closer communication through Internet resources.

To participate in the competition, a lodge must submit a participation confirmation. The final date for 2008 entrants is June 1, 2008. Lodges may submit the form to the MIC via email (msana@ix.netcom.com) or fax (301) 608-3457.

Download Participation Confirmation in PDF.

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ENTRY SUBMISSION DATE AND FORMAT

Deadline is December 1, 2008.. The date is final due to the time required for careful review of timely submissions. See Award Schedule.

Send your completed entry including:

Entry form
3-to 4-page typed description (2 copies)
100-word typed summary (2 copies)
Entry binder
Appendices
Supporting documentation

Please refer to Submission Format and Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Send entry submission to:

Masonic Information Center
8120 Fenton Street
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4785
(301) 588-4010

Important Reminders:

Because of anticipated volume, your binder, appendices and any supporting material CANNOT be returned to you.
Include only copies of documentation included in your binder.
Please do not send originals that cannot be replaced if lost or damaged in transit.
Respect copyright laws.
Clearly print name and address of lodge on all support material.
Send your entry binder via trackable carrier (FedEx, UPS, Priority Mail, or other).

Please refer to Submission Format for more information.
Download Entry Form in PDF

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