It’s that time of the year—when TV shows are filled with the latest “Every Kiss Begins with Kay” jewelry commercials, CVS check-out line shelves are stocked with heart-shaped candy boxes, and “Best Valentine’s Day Gifts” lists pop up all over the place. Most of this is meant to help men honor the special woman in their life on Valentine’s Day.
Women, let’s not forget about the men. It’s a two-way street. This year, honor the special young man in your life by nominating him to be the Gentleman of the Year in The Gentlemen Showcase. He just might win a prize, and you could win something better than a Vermont Teddy Bear too.
The Gentlemen Showcase is an annual national contest sponsored by the Network of enlightened Women, known as NeW, to recognize and honor young gentlemen.
Young men compete in two categories, the College Contest (undergraduate students) and the Under 30 Contest (graduate students and young professionals). The winning gentlemen receive a $500 scholarship or dinner for two, respectively, and the nominator of each winning gentleman receives a $100 Amazon gift card. It is simple to participate—just post a photo and note describing why your nominee is a gentleman.
Some might wonder if there really are that many gentlemen left to nominate. Despite many stories about bad behavior by young men dominating the headlines, many young men are polite, act with integrity, and treat everyone with the respect they deserve.
Yes, young gentlemen do exist.
Take some of the nominations that have already been submitted:
A nominator wrote this about Kyle, a student at the University of Central Florida, “Kyle is polite, opens doors for women, smiles and looks at you in the eye as you talk with him and is an excellent student.”
And Caleb from the United States Naval Academy was described as a gentleman, “Caleb is fully committed to his school, his family and friends, and his country. He will drop everything to make someone he cares about happy, whether that’s driving out of his way to pet puppies with you or staying in with his lovely girlfriend to watch Gilmore Girls. Caleb is truly one of the most kind and genuine people I have ever met…”
Andre, a high school teacher in DC, was nominated in the Under 30 contest: “A tireless advocate and role model for teen-age boys, Andre is always courteous and patient with parents, students and his friends….Andre holds doors for women, offers them his seat on the DC metro when he sees them standing and always treats his students with great respect, often staying late without complaint to help them with their work. He is a true gentleman in every sense of the word.”
One way to encourage more gentlemen is by honoring those gentlemen who are already out there.
When asked in a “man on the street video” filmed in DC if gentlemen still exist, Sarah responded, “Yes, I do think they exist. I think that it’s getting harder for them to exist in that you’re kind of damned if you do and damned if you don’t in the eyes of most women these days.”
We shouldn’t be making it more difficult for young gentlemen.
This contest lets men know that the women around them appreciate the way they carry themselves and treat others. Nominations opened February 1 and run through February 28, and then voting begins March 1 on www.gentshowcase.com.
Women, this Valentine’s Day, make it clear that you recognize and honor gentlemen by nominating them for The Gentlemen Showcase.