AZGFD - 2018 Commission Awards

The annual Arizona Game and Fish Commission Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Point Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 11111 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85020. The event will honor the recipients of the 2018 Commission Awards who were selected this fall.

The purpose of these awards is to recognize Arizonans who have contributed significantly to the conservation of the state's wildlife, its outdoor heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game And Fish Department.

The banquet will begin with a social hour and live music at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The awards will be presented concurrently with dinner to allow for more live music and dancing afterward.

We are looking forward to a great celebration of all our award recipients and are expecting this to be our best banquet ever.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission held its first annual awards banquet on Jan. 12, 1991. Since then, a total of 391 recipients have been recognized with Commission awards. The awards banquet gives the Commission an opportunity to recognize individuals, groups and organizations for their contributions to Arizona's wildlife resources.

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 a table in the organization's name, logo advertisement in the event program, recognition in the introductory PowerPoint presentation and event press release.

2018 Award Recipients

• Award of Excellence: Conserve and Protect (CAPAZ)

• Youth Conservationist of the Year: Jacob Mayer

• Media of the Year: Mike Russell

• Conservation Organization of the Year: Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation

• Conservationist of the Year: Joe Miller

• Natural Resource Professional of the Year: Kyle Spencer

• Volunteer of the Year: James (Spud) Hester

• Educator of the Year: Rebecca Bouquot

• Mentor of the Year: Tim Denny

• Advocate of the Year – State: Rusty Bowers

• Advocate of the Year – Federal: Greg Sheehan

• Business Partner of the Year: Patriot Ordnance Factory

• Buck Appleby Hunter Education Instructor of the Year: Navajo Nation Hunter Education Team

• Wildlife Habitat Steward of the Year: Mike Hemovich

• \North American Model Commissioners Award: Paul Greer