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Using the Torch Awards Online System

The Torch Awards Online System is the exclusive system used to build and evaluate résumés in BPA’s Torch Award program. For a participating student, or for an advisor or State Advisor, a good understanding of the Torch Awards Online System is critical to the success of the Torch Awards program for everyone involved. The system can be accessed at http://www.bpa.org/awards/torchsystem


Logging Into the System

To log into the system, a user selects whether to log in as a student, advisor, chapter reviewer, State Advisor, or state helper, and must enter a username and password. All users can log in from http://www.bpa.org/awards/torchsystem.
  1. Students: Your username is your Member ID, in the form ##-####-####. The dashes are required. Your Member ID can be found by your advisor or local reviewer. You password is set up by your adviser when he/she registers members at the beginning of the year. You can change it (or set it, if your advisor left it blank) by visiting http://www.bpa.org/awards/changepass
  2. Local Advisors: Your username and password are the same as that used to access the Membership Registration System.
  3. Local Reviewer: Your login information is the same as the information used to log in as a student. However, be sure to select “Chapter Reviewer” from the drop-down menu. State Advisor: Your username and password are the same as that used to access the Membership Registration System.
  4. State Advisor Helper: Use the username and password your State Advisor created for you.
Important: Don’t forget to use the drop-down box to select the appropriate login role. Selecting the wrong role will result in an “Invalid Login” error.


Building/Editing a Résumé

Students can access a list of their current activities by clicking “activities” after they log in. Advisors, chapter reviewers, State Advisors, and State Advisor helpers all have this same access to edit résumés, by searching for or listing students after logging in. Reviewers also have the ability to attach a comment on an activity on the “edit activity” screen. The student can then see that comment when they view that activity.

Once the activities list for a student is on screen, editing an activity is as simple as clicking “Edit” next to the activity, changing the description or date, and clicking “submit.” On the edit screen, any comments left by an advisor or reviewer can be seen under the description. To add a new activity, click the “Add Activity” button at the bottom of the activity list. Choose the activity category. Then click the “Select” link next to the relevant activity, choose a date and write a description, and click submit.


Submitting a Résumé

Submitting a résumé is not the role of the student, but of the local advisor or chapter reviewer. State advisors and their helpers also have this function available in the event that no one at the chapter level is able to submit the résumé.

To submit a résumé, the submitter needs to first find the student’s résumé by clicking “list all,” by searching for a particular student, or by clicking one of the three buttons that display all résumés with enough points for Diplomat, Statesman, or Ambassador awards. (These three buttons make it convenient to submit all the résumés eligible for a particular award.) After finding the eligible student, the submitter simply clicks “Submit” next to that student’s name, then check the appropriate award and click the “Submit” button. Next to that checkbox, a submission date should appear, confirming successful résumé submission.

Now the submitter can keep an eye on that résumé in future, taking note as to whether its status for an award changes to “Approved” or “Rejected.” If an administrator approves the award, the student has successfully earned the award. No further action is necessary. If the submission status changes to “rejected,” the résumé is unsatisfactory and the student or advisor should contact the reviewing administrator to see what can be changed to make the résumé satisfactory.


Approving/Recognizing Résumés For Diplomat/Statesman Awards

Once a résumé is submitted for a Diplomat, Statesman or Ambassador award, it is up to State Advisors, helpers and/or the National Center staff to review submitted résumés and make a judgment of award approval or rejection. For the Executive Award, local advisors evaluate and grant the award themselves. Depending on state, the same may be true for Diplomat, although usually, this is done by a State Advisor helper at the regional level or a State Advisor/helper at the state level. National Staff evaluate résumés submitted for the Ambassador Award.

State Advisors / helpers can view a list of résumés eligible for the Diplomat or Statesman award by clicking the “Approve/Reject Diplomat/Statesman Submitted Résumés” links. From that page, there is a link that lets them view a student’s résumé and a column indicating whether the résumé is unreviewed, approved or rejected. This status can be changed by clicking the “Chg” link next to the approval status. Changing a résumé status to approved means that this résumé is officially accepted for recognition.

Résumés are not automatically approved when submitted. The appropriate official (State Advisor, Helper, or National Staff) must choose Approve or Reject for each résumé.

Administrators giving the awards can get a list of students who have been approved for an award by using the “Display/export data” link on their Torch Awards homepage.