Guidelines for Badges of Honour

Chapter 1 - Badges and Honours

1 § Guild badges, honours, and insignia

The Guild of Automation and Systems Technology grants the following honours and insignia to distinguished individuals:

Golden badge
Silver badge
Honorary title
Honorary membership
RatAS
Insignia for officials
Board

The recipients of honours will be published on the guild's website, and the board will maintain records of the recipients. More details regarding badges, honours, and insignia are provided in the following sections. The guild's badges and insignia have previously been referred to collectively as "pränikkä," a term that may still be used if desired.

2 § Badges

The guild has both a golden and a silver badge.

The golden badge may be awarded to a guild member or another individual for particularly exemplary and meritorious long-term contributions to the objectives of the guild. A maximum of three (3) golden badges may be awarded annually. The golden badge has a diameter of 22 mm.

The golden badge is worn attached to a ribbon. The ribbon is 25 mm wide and violet in color.

The silver badge may be awarded to a guild member or another individual for exemplary contributions to the objectives of the guild. A maximum of seven (7) silver badges may be awarded annually. The silver badge has a diameter of 18 mm. However, exceptions to the maximum number of badges may be made if the guild board unanimously decides to do so.

3 § Honorary titles

The guild's annual and election meetings have the right to grant honorary titles by a five-sixths (5/6) majority. Guild members have the right to propose an honorary title and its recipient.

4 § Honorary members

A person may be invited to accept honorary membership of the guild in accordance with the guild's guidelines. Honorary members are awarded the guild's golden badge. The golden badge awarded to honorary members is not counted within the annual quota.

The ribbon of the golden badge awarded to honorary members features a golden border at the bottom, which constitutes 1/4 of the ribbon's width.

5 § RatAS, i.e. Ratkaisija aASi [Solver aASi]

The RatAS honour may be awarded for meritorious contributions to the objectives of the guild. The honour may be granted for either sustained work or exceptionally diligent short-term activity. The RatAS honour may be awarded once to a current or former guild member, but not to an honorary member.

This honour cannot be granted to recipients of the guild's silver or golden badge, nor to board members during their term of office. Honours are announced and, if possible, awarded at Eskalaatio or Wappusitsit events.

RatAS honours are granted by the board, which also determines their annual contents and number.

Chapter 2 - Official Insignia

6 § Insignia for officials

The insignia for officials has a diameter of 11 mm and is bronze-colored. Current and former guild officials have the right to wear the bronze insignia, which should be worn in the manner of an academic honour. It should not be worn together with a badge or the board insignia.

7 § Board insignia

The board insignia has a diameter of 11 mm and is silver-colored. Current and former members of the guild's board, as well as current and former oltermannis, have the right to wear the board insignia. It should be worn in the manner of an academic honour and should not be worn together with a badge.

8 § Chains of office for the chairpersons

The current guild board chairperson and vice-chairperson have the right to wear the chains of office for the chairpersons. These chains are worn with formal attire at academic ceremonial events. The chains are transferred to the chairperson and vice-chairperson at the beginning of their term.

The chairperson's chain features an AS-text logo where the letter "A" is filled and the letter "S" is hollow. The vice-chairperson's chain features an AS-text logo where the letter "A" is hollow and the letter "S" is filled.

Chapter 3 - Proposal and Awarding of Badges

9 § Proposal of badges

Guild members may propose recipients for the guild's badges. Proposals can be submitted to the vice-chairperson of the board throughout the year. The vice-chairperson will inform members of the opportunity to propose badges at least two months before the awarding of badges. Proposals must be written and include at least the following: proposer, proposed recipient, type of badge, and justification.

10 § Organisation of the Badge Committee

The vice-chairperson of the board forms and chairs the Badge Committee, and reports of the committee's establishment and composition to the guild board.

Committee members should widely represent guild members and have a comprehensive understanding of guild activities. The composition of the committee is not public during its term, and its proceedings are confidential.

The committee prepares proposals of badge recipients for the guild board based on submitted suggestions by guild members. Once formed, the committee does not accept new suggestions, except for internal suggestions.

11 § Awarding of badges

Badges are granted only based on the board-approved proposal of the Badge Committee, except for honorary members, whose golden badge is awarded solely by the guild meeting upon extending the invitation to accept honorary membership.

A member of the Badge Committee or the sitting chairperson of the guild cannot be proposed to receive a badge.

The committee shall submit its initial proposal for badge recipients to the board no later than three weeks before the awarding of badges. The committee shall have only one valid proposal at a time. Before submitting a new proposal, the committee must receive notification of the board's decision on the previous one. The board may approve the proposal by a two-thirds (2/3) majority or reject it. In the case of a rejected proposal, the board is obliged to provide the committee with a justification for its decision.

Chapter 4 - Distribution and Usage of Badges

12 § Distribution of badges

Badges are distributed to the recipients at the guild's annual ball if possible. The golden badge is given along with its ribbon.

13 § Instructions for usage

All guild insignia and badges defined in this document should be worn in occasions that honour their significance. These are typically worn at academic ceremonies or when representing the guild.

Only the highest-ranking badge to which one is entitled should be worn. Badges should be worn in the manner of academic honours. The ribbon of the golden badge and that of the honorary member’s badge should not come into direct contact with bare skin when worn. The ribbon should be worn from the right shoulder down to the left hip. It may also be worn in a rosette, which is attached to the right side of the attire’s chest. The rosette should have 2-3 loops on both sides.

Chapter 5 - Other Guidelines

14 § External honours

The board is responsible for annually gathering suggestions from guild members for The Guild of the Round Tower (PTK) membership nominations and submitting the proposals to Aalto University Student Union (AYY).

15 §

Any matters not defined in these guidelines shall be decided by the guild board.

These guidelines for Badges of Honour were approved in the Guild of Automation and Systems Technology meeting on 20.7.2021 and took effect immediately. The English translation was done on March 6th 2025 and isn't an official document.