Application for The President's "E" and "E Star" Awards for Export Expansion

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration / U.S. Commercial Service
Application Instructions for The President's "E" and "E Star" Awards for Excellence in Exporting
their plant or office.

The President's "E" Award was created by Executive Order of
the President on December 5, 1961(EO 10978), to afford
suitable recognition to persons, firms, or organizations which
contribute significantly in the effort to increase United States
exports.

"E Star" winners receive a certificate similarly signed reflecting
the recipient's continued outstanding export contributions, a lapel
pin with a star added, and pennant emblazoned with a blue star
beside the "E".

The President's "E Star" Award, which was authorized by the
Secretary of Commerce on August 4, 1969, affords continuing
recognition of noteworthy export promotion efforts.
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III. WHO MAY APPLY
Any firm, partnership, corporation, association or organization
(including state government organizations) that feels it has made
a significant contribution to U.S. export expansion efforts and can
meet the criteria is eligible to apply. U.S. subsidiaries of foreign
owned or controlled corporations may also apply.

I. TYPE OF AWARDS
The "E" and "E Star" Awards are divided into four categories:
1. The President's "E" Certificate for Exports
2. The President's "E" Certificate for Export Service
3. The President's "E Star" Award for Exports
4. The President's "E Star" Award for Export Service

IV. HOW TO APPLY

The President's "E" Certificate for Exports is awarded to a firm or
organization that has made significant contributions to the
increase of American exports.

Applicants should submit one signed hard copy and one
electronic copy of a completed application form to a U.S. Export
Assistance Center. To locate the nearest USEAC, call 1-800USA-TRADE, or visit the Internet at http://www.export.gov.

The President's "E" Certificate for Export Service is awarded to
organizations that may or may not export directly, but which
assist or facilitate export efforts through either financing,
transportation, market promotion, or other such services.

All items should be filled in; insert "not applicable" in an item if
that is the case. Use supplemental sheets to complete a
justification narrative.
The U.S. Export Assistance Center will review and sign each
application for completeness before forwarding to Washington,
D.C. for further processing and presentation to the Interagency
President's "E" Award Committee. Final selection will be made
by the Secretary of Commerce.

The period of consideration for an "E" Award covers the most
recent four (4) years of export operation or export service. The
period for an "E Star" Award includes the most recent three (3)
years of export operation of export service; however, no portion
of the "E Star" period may overlap any portion of the "E" Award
period.

V. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS

The President's "E Star" Awards are awarded for continued
superior performance in increasing or promoting exports. Only
previous recipients of the "E" Award are eligible. The period of
consideration covers the most recent three years of export
operation; it does not overlap any portion of the period covered
by the "E" Award; and the level of performance must exceed that
for which the "E" Award was given.

All applications for the "E" and "E Star" Awards are reviewed by
the Interagency President's "E" Award Committee, which is
composed of representatives of U.S. government departments
and agencies involved in export-related activities. The
Committee, which meets periodically, considers each application
on its individual merits. Those receiving favorable consideration
are forwarded to the Secretary of Commerce for final selection in
the name and by the authority of the President.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE AWARDS
"E" Award winners receive a certificate signed in the name and
by the authority of the President by the Secretary of Commerce
(and in the case of an agricultural product or service, by both the
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Agriculture), a lapel
pin, and a white pennant with a large blue "E" on it to fly over

Applications receiving less than favorable consideration by the
Committee are either deferred pending additional information or
rejected; applicants are then notified of the Committee decision.
CAVEAT: As noted on page 1 of the application form, the

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dollar sales from overseas plants, but describe both in your
narrative justification, and list income from licensing agreements
separately as indicated. It should be noted that although a
rising trend in the volume of exports indicates a successful
export expansion program, the rising trend would not, in
itself, be regarded as a sufficient basis for the award.

applicant authorizes any U.S. government department, agency or
commission to provide the U.S. Department of Commerce with
information pertaining to the applicant's eligibility and fitness to
receive the award for which it is applying. If adverse information
is received which is viewed serious enough to cause
embarrassment to the U.S. Government should the "E" or "E
Star" Award be granted, the Award will be denied.

In addition:

Information contained in the application and its supporting
material will be treated as business confidential information and
will be protected from disclosure to the extent allowed by law.
Lists of awardees will be made available to the public.

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statistics should be given on the basis of actual export data,
not estimated future projections.

.

statistics which indicate a decline in exports or less than a
significant year-to-year increase will not be favorably
considered. Instead, delay submitting the application until
such time as the export record meets the criteria.

.

If military sales are involved in exports, there should be a
breakdown of military versus non-military sales. This also
applies to exports under concessionary government
financing. An applicant whose exports consist essentially of
foreign military sales does not qualify as a commercial
competitor and shall be considered ineligible for the award.

.

Applicants which are financial institutions applying for the “E”
Award for Export Service, as opposed to the “E” Award for
Exports, should provide the actual amounts of the various
types of export financing extended to exporters for the fouryear period, including:

VI. PREPARATION OF APPLICATION FORM
It is important to review carefully the instructions relating to each
item on the application form and to insert not applicable in an
item if that is the case. Failure to answer all items may delay
processing the application. Use supplemental sheets to complete
a justification narrative. In particular, several of the instructions
require that certain types of applicants, e.g., export service
industries and organizations, including financial institutions,
export management companies, etc. furnish specific types of
information.
Item 1. ORGANIZATION INFORMATION: Name of the
organization as you would wish it to appear on the “E” Award
Certificate. Please include the organization’s tax ID number.
Item 2. CONTACT INFORMATION: Include a Point – of –
Contact (POC) for the organization’s nomination.

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Item 3. SIGNATURE: The application should be signed by the
organization President and/or CEO and dated.
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Item 4. TYPE OF ORGANIZATION: Indicate if the firm is a
manufacturer, services exporter, agricultural producer or service
organization such as an export management company, freight
forwarder, financial or educational institution, chamber of
commerce, state agency. Indicate if the firm is listed on a public
securities exchange or otherwise reports to the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC).

•

Item 5. EMPLOYEES: Indicate the number of U.S. employees
currently working for the organization and how many of this
number are employed directly due to export activities, either
production for export markets or management of international
sales and marketing.

.

Item 6. MAJOR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES EXPORTED: To
identify your product or service NAICS category, please access
the following web site:
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html

Total Lending Activities:
o Domestic
o International-export loans, import loans,
Euro-dollar loans, loans to foreign banks,
corporate entities and individuals
Deposits
o Demand
o Time (including savings)
o Deposits in its own foreign branches
Other:
o
o

Acceptances
Letters of Credit (Both export and import)

If the applicant is an Export Management Company (EMC),
statistics must be given that demonstrate on a supplier or
client account-by-account basis there has been a uniformly
shared export expansion on a sustained basis.

Applicants for the "E Star" Award must meet the same criteria as
for the "E" Award and exceed the level of export achievement of
the "E" Award period. "E Star" applications submitted with erratic
export figures will not be considered. The most recent three-year
period of export operations or export service will be considered
for the "E Star" and should not overlap any portion of the period
covered by the "E" Award.

Item 7. USDOC/USEAC RECOMMENDING AWARD: The
signature of the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), U.S.
Export Assistance Center (USEAC) Director is required. Any
application sent directly to the U.S. Department of Commerce in
Washington will be returned for recommendation by the USEAC.

Item 10. KEY EXPORTING CHALLENGES: Self-explanatory.
Item 11. JUSTIFICATION: In a clear and concise manner, the
applicant should: outline the organization’s international
marketing strategy, explain how the organization’s international
marketing strategy led to an increase in export sales and/or how
the organization’s effective international marketing plan enabled
the firm to enter new international markets, how the organization
met the challenges indicated in Item 10 and indicate if and how
your firm has worked with USG export promotion agencies
(examples include USDOC, SBA & Export-Import Bank) in its

Item 8. APPLICATION FOR: Select one only.
Item 9. EXPORT STATISTICS: All applicants MUST illustrate
increased exports and/or export service for the four-year period
of consideration. Statistics must be given for the most recent
four-year period to show a full three-year growth picture with
dollar export sales figures representing exports from the United
States only. Do not include income from licensing agreements or

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Freight forwarders (ocean transportation intermediaries)
are defined in the Shipping Act of 1916 as persons handling
the formalities incident to the dispatching of shipments by
ocean-going common carriers on behalf of others. They are
not shippers, consignees, sellers or purchasers, and do not
have any beneficial interest in the shipment.

marketing efforts.
The justification may be illustrated using some of the following:
A.
B.

C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.

Product or service manufactured.
Information indicating whether the applicant employs an
export intermediary firm in its international trade operations.
If so, the name, relationship and amount of export business
generated by each firm.
Market research activities.
Appointment/expansion of distributor network and/or joint
ventures.
Opening overseas offices.
Establishment of overseas subsidiaries and/or warehousing
facilities.
Participation in overseas trade missions, trade fairs, trade
shows, and other export promotion activities.
Description of foreign competition.
Introduction of new products or services into international
trade, modifying or adjusting products or services for
international markets, customizing products or services.
Development of a market abroad for product not previously
exported.
Opening of new trade area previously closed or extremely
limited to American companies because of difficult
competitive conditions.
Training of employees, both domestic and overseas.
Promotional activities, including development of indigenous
language materials and advertising/promotional materials.

By definition, the statistics provided on business done by a
freight forwarding company relate to the export activity of its
clients. A forwarder must show an increase in the value of
exports handled over the four-year period of the application,
but not necessarily an increase in the number of shipments
handled. The application must demonstrate identifiable
results of programs or activities contributing to export
expansion, which are over and above the reason for the
existence of the business as defined above.

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Applicants for the President's "E" Award for Export Service
should provide a clear and concise narrative of justification.
Growth statistics and success stories, five case studies of new
exporters or exporters that have markedly increased overseas
sales that illustrate the significance and results of the trade
promotion activities of the service industry or organization,
should be included. In addition, the application should contain:

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providing market guidance or periodic information
specifically designed to encourage exporters.
travel and attendance at conferences, trade shows, etc.
for the purpose of promoting export trade.
other activities which contribute, assist or facilitate
exporting as outlined in the criteria and which exceed the
normal activity of freight forwarding.

In addition, port authorities should provide information on any
increase of new and established exports and export tonnage
during the four-year period; educational institutions should
provide statistical increases in attendance in addition to other
expanded export-related activities; and other service
organizations such as chambers of commerce and trade
associations should demonstrate concrete results of
programs which are over and above the reason for existence
of the organization.

b. A description of the promotional programs and statistical
evidence of the effectiveness of these programs. This includes,
but is not limited to, the following:

•
•
•
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cooperative efforts with ocean carriers to foster the
availability of suitable equipment or service that
contributed to expanded export sales.

Agricultural applicants should note cooperative
arrangements, joint projects and market promotion activities
conducted with the US Department of Agriculture.

a. A detailed description of the services provided and used by
exporters, including increases and results for at least the past
four years.

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•
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development of a special expertise which has contributed
to the expanded and orderly overseas marketing of
specific products.

Distribution of trade opportunities

Applicants for the Presidents "E" Star Award for Exports and "E
Star" Award for Export Service should provide similar information
as that required for the "E" Award with emphasis on how
marketing activities or services to exporters have increased since
receiving the "E" Award. The date the "E" Award was received
should also be stated.

Assistance to exporters with trade documentation
Seminars, workshops and conferences conducted, including
results by the exporter.
Sponsorship of overseas trade missions; results.
Opening of overseas offices.

All applicants will be notified of the final disposition of their case.

Hosting overseas business visitors.
Promotion of local international facilities such as air
terminals and port authorities.

VII. PREPARATION OF APPLICATION ADDENDUM
Copy and paste the text of the Addendum (IRS waiver) into
Company letterhead, sign, date and attach to nomination.

Cooperation with USDOC/USEAC in sponsoring and
promoting export-related activities and events.

In Adobe Acrobat: CTRL+A (select all), CTRL+C (copy) then
CTRL+V (paste). Organizations may request Addendum, IRS
waiver, in Microsoft Word format by sending an email to:
[email protected]

Other non-manufacturers applying for the “E” Award for Export
Service that promote and assist international trade must
demonstrate effective marketing and promotional services
extended to exporters and are required to include supplemental
information as follows:

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