Stars of the Industry
Details & Categories

Nominations​

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Nominations may be submitted by supervisors, co-workers, customers, friends, or family. Self-nominations are accepted. Out-of-state nominations will not be accepted. Please do not submit multiple nominations for the same person. In order to be considered, all nomination questions must be answered. You may submit nominations in multiple categories. Past Stars of the Industry winners are not eligible to be finalists in the same category they previously won. However, they may qualify in a different category. Nominations will close at midnight on July 31, 2025.

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NHLRA Member Categories​

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The following categories are designed to recognize businesses or individuals affiliated with the NHLRA as members: Allied Member of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Chef of the Year, Hotelier of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Lodging Employee of the Year, Restaurant Employee of the Year, Restaurateur of the Year, and the Rising Star Award. ​

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Scoring

The number of nominations an individual or business receives does not impact their evaluation. Instead, nominations that provide detailed, high-quality submissions with specific examples will be scored more favorably. The NHLRA Executive Committee will score each nomination based on a rubric, and the three highest-scoring nominees in each category will be selected as finalists. In the event that a category receives an insufficient number of submissions, the Executive Committee reserves the right to select a sole winner, nominate alternative qualified candidates, or eliminate the category entirely.

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Finalists

Finalists will be notified directly by August 20. Finalists have until midnight on August 27 to confirm and accept the nomination. Finalists will be publicly announced by August 31. The winners will be decided by public vote.

Public Voting

Public voting will begin on August 31 and will conclude on September 14. Please note that multiple submissions for the same individual will not increase their chances of winning, as only one vote per nominee will be counted. Finalists are welcome to promote themselves in their establishments, online, etc. 

 

Winners

Winners will be announced publicly on September 15. Finalists who did not win will be notified as well. Please note that scoring results will not be shared.