Greater Tucson Leadership (GTL) is NOW accepting nominations for the 73rd Community Impact Awards. Nominations will be open from Friday, September 1, 2025 through Sunday, October 12, 2025. The 2025 honorees will be celebrated on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at the Tucson Convention Center.
HISTORY OF AWARDS
Tucson’s Man and Woman of the Year was established in 1952 by the Tucson Advertising Club. The Tucson Metro Chamber assumed the Man and Woman of the Year Program in 1983 and provided GTL with the honor of carrying on the tradition of these awards in 2012. The award program honors a man and woman who have in the recent or past few years, distinguished themselves through exceptional leadership and service to the Tucson community. Honorees are those who have invested their time, expertise, and resources to advance community well-being, support others, and exemplify integrity and respect through their actions.
The Founders Award was established in 1985 to augment the Man and Woman of the Year Awards. This separate and distinct “lifetime achievement” award cites individuals who have demonstrated significant long-term community involvement and accomplishments and who have helped shape the community in a quality, positive manner with merit and dedication.
The Greater Tucson Leadership Alumni of Excellence Award was established in 2017. It recognizes the outstanding volunteer efforts of a member of the GTL alumni community. The distinguished recipients have demonstrated a significant long-term commitment to Tucson and represents the highest ideals of service and loyalty to the community.
Honorees are chosen based on the breadth of their impact in the community and the contributions they have made beyond the scope of their employment.
Nominations may be made by an individual or a group. However, a contact person must be identified. All information will be held confidential. NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 12:00PM SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2025 AND MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A HEADSHOT OF THE NOMINEE, ONE LETTER OF SUPPORT, AND NOMINIEE QUESTION ANSWERS. NOMINATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THAT TIME AND DATE. Additional letters of support are highly encouraged but no more than (5) and must be submitted by the nomination deadline. Thank you for your support of this distinguished recognition in our community.
ELIGIBILITY
Man and Woman of the Year and Founders Awards Any person who has not been honored as a Man or Woman of the Year or Founders Award recipient is eligible. Founders Award Any person who has not been honored as a Founders Award recipient is eligible, previous recipients of the Man or Woman of the year award are eligible to be nominated for the Founders Award.
Alumni of Excellence AwardAny person who has not been honored as an Alumni of Excellence Award Recipient and has completed either the GTL Lead Tucson or Civic and Political Leadership Academy programs is eligible. Additional Eligibility RequirementsTo ensure fairness and transparency, current Greater Tucson Leadership staff and members currently serving on the Board of Directors are not eligible for nomination. In addition, GTL staff and the current Governing Board Chair are not permitted to participate in the nomination process.
SELECTION
The Community Impact Awards will be selected by a broad-based community committee, appointed by the CEO and Chair of the Governing Board of Greater Tucson Leadership. The selection committee is comprised of sixteen community leaders representing business, government, nonprofit, higher education and Greater Tucson Leadership. The selection committee will anonymously review the nomination forms and supporting materials.
The Man and Woman of the Year Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to the Tucson community. Honorees are those who have invested their time, expertise, and resources to advance community well-being, support others, and exemplify integrity and respect through their actions. These honorees lead by example, uplift others, and champion community projects in recent years.
The Founders Award honors individuals whose lifetime of service and leadership has left a lasting mark on our community. These recipients have given of themselves over many years, leaving behind a legacy of impact, inspiration, and community strength that has helped shape Tucson in a positive and enduring way over the course of their lifetime.
The GTL Alumni of the Year recipient will have distinguished themselves through taking the tenets learned during a GTL program to actively support the Greater Tucson Community, through demonstrating excellence in strengths-based leadership. They have offered leadership, time, and personal/professional resources to our community in recent years. Honorees are chosen based on the breadth of their impact in the community and the contributions they have made beyond the scope of their employment.The selection committee retains the right to move any nominee from one category to another during the judging process.
PRESENTATION OF AWARDS
Recipients of the GTL Community Impact Awards will be notified in the first week of December 2025. AWARD WINNERS MUST ALSO BE AVAILABLE SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2026 TO ACCEPT THEIR AWARD AT THE EVENT.Honoree videos and photographs will be used for promotional purposes.
Nominee Information
Nominator Information
Required Attachments
Download nominee questions here.
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