Fun fact: getting your local government to recognize Ace Week might be easier than you think!

In 2019, the state of Washington became the first state in the US to formally recognize Ace Week, and last year, 5 different states did the same! Hopefully, with a little help from people like you, even more states will follow their footsteps for Ace Week 2021.

In this article, I’m going to walk you through the steps you can take to have the governor of your state formally recognize Ace Week. (This formal recognition is typically called a proclamation.) You may be able to adapt this information to suit your city, province, and country as well!

If you are planning to submit a proclamation request, please email us at hello@aceweek.org so we can ensure only one request goes to each state.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s important to know that states don’t approve every request they get. Your state might reject your request even if you submit it perfectly, so it’s not your fault if things don’t work out.

You should also know that a proclamation is honorary, so it won’t affect any laws or regulations. All that being said, proclamations are great for raising awareness, they’re often very easy to request, and they don’t cost any money!

Just imagine how amazing it will feel if you’re the one who gets Ace Week recognized in your state!

Here’s what you need to get started

First: have an in-state address

You’ll almost certainly need an in-state address to fill out your state’s request form. The address probably won’t be made public, since states often collect it so they know where to mail the proclamation. The address may also be needed to prove that you’re a resident of your state, which is a requirement in many cases.

Second: know the deadline

Proclamation requests usually need to be submitted 3-6 weeks before the event in question, though this varies depending on the state. (Some states require up to 120 days advance notice!) To help you figure out your deadline, we’ve written a help sheet for each US state. Of course, if you’re requesting a proclamation from your city or another jurisdiction, you may need to do some of your own research.

Third: write a draft of the proclamation

You’ll need some sample text that you can submit with your request. Most states require you to write a draft proclamation for them, so it’s best to put some thought into what you want it to say.

Proclamations typically include 4-6 “whereas” clauses that build up to and justify the “proclamation” of recognition for the event in question. For some help getting started, our help sheets include sample text for each US state, and you’re free to modify those to suit your needs!

Note: The office of the governor can change the language of your requested proclamation, so don’t be surprised if the end result isn’t exactly how you wrote it!

Things you should know

• Proclamations don’t renew automatically, so you’ll have to submit a new request each year. Some states ask for documentation for repeated requests, so it’s a good idea to hang on to the request you submit each year!

• You can typically submit your proclamation request through an online form, and some states let you mail or fax in your request.

• Some states aren’t accepting requests for proclamations at the moment due to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

It can be hard to know where to start, so that’s why we created helpsheets with useful information for each US state. The helpsheets include a link to the form for your state, the request deadline, and a template for your proclamation text. If any information is missing for your state, that means the information wasn’t publicly available online. In that case, you should contact the office of your governor and ask them how to submit a request.

If you’ve submitted a request or are working on one, please let us know by emailing hello@aceweek.org.

We’re rooting for you!