In order to give proper recognition to members who have provided outstanding service to The Augustan Society, Inc., whose recognition through the [[Fellowship]] system may be felt insufficient, the Society established the [[Balling Award]], named for Cdr. George R. Balling, OAE, the first recipient. It was soon observed that some individuals would contribute so much, so consistently, and for such a long time, that they would monopolize the Balling Award for years at a time.
It was felt that the Balling Award would be more effective if more widely spread, and it was also observed that those who earned the award repeatedly were not particularly motivated by it, but actually somewhat embarrassed by it'’s repeated presentation. Thus it was decided to create the '''Metzler Award''', named for its first (and to date, only) recipient, Dame Evelyn J. T. Metzler, OAE.
A member who has been granted the Balling Award five times, and is again felt to have made the largest contribution, is instead granted the Metzler Award, and is ineligible for both awards thereafter.
[[Headquarters Staff]] will prepare a suitable certificate of award, and send it to the individual along with a letter of congratulation from the [[Chairman]] or [[President]].
It has been suggested that a plaque be designed and presented at that year'’s [[Annual Convention]]. If the member fails to attend, or if the Convention is not held in person, the plaque would be shipped to them after the Convention. No funding or design for such have yet been proposed.
It is also suggested that a permanent plaque be designed to list all recipients, and that it be placed on display at [[Headquarters]]. Again, no design or funding has been proposed.