The Palm Beach Civic Association is accepting nominations for its annual Raymond J. Kunkel Award.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 10.
The Kunkel Award is the most prestigious and longest-running recognition of those who have provided heroic or meritorious service to the Palm Beach community, said William Matthews, chairman of the Civic Association’s Raymond J. Kunkel Committee.
It is given each year to recipients in two categories: those who have placed their own lives at risk to help others, and those who have dedicated themselves to the service of others through actions that epitomize the concept of “service above self.”
“It is an award to recognize the unrecognized, often for their very quiet service to the community and to others for heroic actions,” Matthews said. “Also, the Kunkel Award puts a spotlight on the anonymous doers of great deeds of service to the community.”
The award is limited to actions that occurred within the town of Palm Beach.
Recipients are publicly recognized and given a financial honorarium at the Civic Association’s Annual Meeting, which will be held this year on Monday, April 7, from 10 a.m. until noon at the Flagler Museum.
The award was established in 1976 in honor of Civic Association Chairman Raymond J. Kunkel. From 1978 through 2024, the Civic Association has honored 130 individuals and organizations with the award.
Recipients are selected by the Raymond J. Kunkel Committee, consisting of Matthews and members Joan Eigen, Cathy Flagg, Paul Leone, Michael Reiter, and Bob Wright.
This year, to simplify the process, the Civic Association has provided a Kunkel Award nomination form on its website, palmbeachcivic.org. The form can be accessed from the homepage by clicking on “awards.”
To nominate an individual or group for the award, download, complete and submit the form as a PDF attachment, along with any supporting documents, in an email to the Civic Association at pbca@palmbeachbeachcivic.org. Please remember to label the email “Kunkel Award nomination” in the subject line.
Alternatively, the forms and supporting documents can be printed and mailed or hand delivered to the Palm Beach Civic Association, 139 North County Road, Suite 33, Palm Beach, FL 33480. If mailed, please label the envelope “Kunkel award nomination.”
To be considered, the forms must be received by the Civic Association by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 10.
Kunkel Committee member Michael Reiter said the new nominating procedure is designed to get the public more involved in making nominations to make sure that persons meeting the award criteria are considered.
More detailed nomination forms allow for a better understanding of appropriateness for the award, said Reiter, a retired Palm Beach police chief and 2009 Kunkel Award recipient.
“The Raymond J. Kunkel Awards are a wonderful and important part of the Palm Beach Civic Association’s recognition of acts of heroism and outstanding performance in our community,” Reiter said. “When I look at the plaque in the Civic Association offices listing all of the names of award recipients, I am reminded of decades of worthy recipients, many that I had the honor of nominating while I was chief of police.”
Raymond J. Kunkel Award nomination form
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