A National Awards Committee, headed by the Chief Justice, oversees the nomination process and investigates nominees before making recommendations to the Prime Minister. Any person or organisation may nominate a citizen for a National Award. The President confers the awards on the advice of the Prime Minister, given after consideration of the recommendation of the Advisory Committee. The President hosts the National Awards Ceremony annually on Republic Day, September 24th.
The existing National Awards are: The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in Gold; The Chaconia Medal in Gold, Silver and Bronze; The Hummingbird Medal in Gold, Silver and Bronze; the Public Service Medal of Merit in Gold, Silver and Bronze and the Medal for the Development of Women in Gold, Silver and Bronze.
