{"id":20425,"date":"2025-08-11T14:48:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=20425"},"modified":"2025-08-11T14:58:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:58:01","slug":"nomination-deadline-for-commission-awards-is-aug-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/08\/11\/nomination-deadline-for-commission-awards-is-aug-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Commission Award Nomination deadline is Aug. 13"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you haven&#8217;t yet had a chance to nominate someone for a 2025 Arizona Game and Fish Commission Award, there is still time.&nbsp;<strong>The deadline to submit nominations is Aug. 13, 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The awards recognize Arizonans who have contributed significantly to the conservation of the state\u2019s wildlife, its outdoor heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). There are 13 award categories (see list below). Nominations may include individuals, organizations, clubs, foundations or government agencies. AZGFD employees are not eligible for nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To nominate someone, download a&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/links-1.govdelivery.com\/CL0\/https:%2F%2Fsecure.lglforms.com%2Fform_engine%2Fs%2FmoA5PgrIRwVtrezAV8Qalw%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery\/1\/010001989b0ae909-c45e6398-022f-4d64-9883-d1f12f60ac81-000000\/unyq-NRH94rBiOXRKPCJRhpOT8vdOZgf_6VJ-gz6nkQ=417\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nomination form<\/a><\/strong>, fill in the requested information, and click &#8220;submit&#8221; at the bottom of the form.&nbsp;<br><br>The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will select the 2025 Commission Award recipients at its Sept. 5, 2025, meeting. The awards will be presented at the annual Arizona Game and Fish Commission Awards Banquet to be held on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at the Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 11111 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Arizona Game and Fish Commission held its first annual awards banquet on Jan. 12, 1991. Since then, more than 400 recipients have been recognized with Commission Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the costs associated with the awards banquet must be paid for by ticket sales and sponsorship donations, including the complimentary tickets for award recipients and their spouse or guest. Table Sponsorships for organizations are available in several categories and include logo advertisement in the event program, and sponsorship recognition during the introductory presentation.<br><br><strong>2025 AWARD CATEGORIES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Award of Excellence<\/strong><br>Any individual, group, organization, club, foundation, or agency that has excelled in efforts to benefit wildlife, wildlife habitats, or programs of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Youth Conservationist of the Year<\/strong><br>Any individual, 18 years of age or younger, who has excelled in efforts to benefit wildlife and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Media of the Year<\/strong><br>Any media source (radio, television, magazine, newsletter, or periodical) that has published articles or materials beneficial to public interest about wildlife or wildlife-related topics and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Conservation Organization of the Year<\/strong><br>Any organization, group, foundation, or agency that has excelled in efforts to enhance the welfare of wildlife, wildlife-related recreation, and the mission of the Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Conservationist of the Year<\/strong><br>Any individual, not associated with a professional agency, who has excelled in efforts to enhance, conserve, and manage wildlife or their habitats.<br><br><strong>Natural Resource Professional of the Year<\/strong><br>Any individual who through a professional agency affiliation has excelled in efforts to enhance, conserve, and manage wildlife or their habitats.<br><br><strong>Volunteer of the Year<\/strong><br>Any individual who, as a registered volunteer with the Department, has excelled in efforts to support and benefit the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Educator of the Year<\/strong><br>Any individual whose educational activities have advanced and supported the welfare of wildlife, wildlife-related recreation, or the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Mentor of the Year<\/strong><br>Any individual who has acted in the role of a mentor and whose efforts have resulted in the promotion and support of future wildlife conservation efforts and the development of future wildlife conservation leaders in Arizona.<br><br><strong>Advocate of the Year &#8211; State<\/strong><br>Any individual who has engaged in political advocacy for the betterment of wildlife conservation and in the support of the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Advocate of the Year &#8211; Federal<\/strong><br>Any individual who has engaged in political advocacy for the betterment of wildlife conservation and in the support of the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<br><br><strong>Business Partner of the Year<\/strong><br>Any business partner that actively promotes Game and Fish through innovative approaches, community involvement, and a customer service focus that benefits the citizens of Arizona and supports the Game and Fish\u2019s mission of wildlife conservation.<br><br><strong>Buck Appleby Hunter Education Instructor of the Year<\/strong><br>Any hunter education instructor who actively participates in hunter education activities and demonstrates the highest level of customer service, dedication and professionalism during these activities. Award category recently approved by the AZGFD Commission in honor of Buck Appleby, a long-time hunter education instructor who passed away in 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Awards will be presented at annual banquet Jan. 17, 2026, Hilton Phx Tapatio Cliffs Resort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":20442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Commission Award Nomination deadline is Aug. 13 - Arizona Game &amp; Fish Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/08\/11\/nomination-deadline-for-commission-awards-is-aug-13\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commission Award Nomination deadline is Aug. 13 - Arizona Game &amp; 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