Planner of the Year | Sheldon Gerber | Stan Steadman | The Lester Award | The President's Award
Past Western Planner Award Recipients

Each year Western Planning Resources (WPR) recognizes its peers by taking the opportunity to nominate worthy candidates whose work represents outstanding examples of planning in the West.

With that goal in mind, the WPR Board seeks nominations annually for the WP Planner of the Year, the Sheldon D. Gerber Special Merit Award for Excellence in Environmental Planning, and the Lester Award.

The WPR Awards’ Committee reviews nominations for all awards and makes selections based upon the information received. The names of nominators and nominees are kept confidential. The Awards are presented during the annual Western Planner Conference.  Nominations and submittal material for the Planner of the Year, Sheldon D. Gerber Merit Award for Excellence in Environmental Planning, and the Lester Award should be sent to:

Katie Guthrie
2106 Cameo Avenue
Loveland, CO 80538
katie@apacolorado.org
970-667-2192

For questions about the awards' process, contact Katie at katie@apacolorado.org or 970-667-2172. The deadline for the 2011 Award nominations is June 15, 2011

The Planner of the Year award honors individuals who have the fortitude, skill, and humor necessary to be recognized practitioners and outspoken advocates on behalf of planning in the West. The award gives WPR an opportunity to honor planners who have gained respect as fellow professionals, and it identifies and recognizes the achievements that led to the winner’s selection as WP’s Planner of the Year.

Please submit a nomination of not more than 500 words that includes the following information:

1. Name of planner being nominated and place of employment.
2. Education and work history if known. Attach resume if possible.
3. How the nominee has promoted effective planning practices.
4. Significant contributions the nominee has made toward achieving community goals or solving problems by using planning principles.
5. How the nominee has encouraged a greater understanding of planning by the community and clients being served.
6. Any special qualities the planner has.
7. The name, address, and telephone number of the nominator.

Optional: Nominators may send material in support of the nomination, such as copies of plans or documents referenced in the nomination.

WPR seeks nominations for the Sheldon D. Gerber Merit Award for Excellence in Environmental Planning annually. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in environmental planning, which can be in the form of a project, report, or the professional efforts of a planner or citizen planner.

A WPR Board member at the time of his death in May 1991, Sheldon inspired many of us whose lives he touched to do two things: “Go the extra distance to accomplish well what it is you set out to do, and take time to smell the roses.”

WPR would like to recognize individuals who are striving to improve the environment and protect the natural world. 

Nominations may be from three categories:

• A project or report
• Recognition for a planner’s contribution in environmental planning
• Recognition for a citizen planner’s contribution in environmental planning

Please submit a nomination of not more than 1,500 words and include the following.

For Project or Report Categories:

Title of entry, short description including goals, objectives, or scope of work; major recommendations or accomplishments of the environmental planning effort; implementation status and outlook for continuing impact; citizen involvement opportunities; significance to environmental planning; and innovation. Please send one copy of the published report or executive summary of a project, as applicable.

For Individual Planner or Citizen Planner Categories:

Individual’s title; short description of the person’s background; environmentally related achievement(s) and nature of contributions; significance of achievements to environmental planning; and leadership in environmental planning. Please also send a resume for the individual being nominated.

Include for both Categories:

• Name, address, and phone number of the nominee
• Name, address, and phone number of person submitting the nomination
• Photographs, related newspaper articles, letters of endorsement, and other materials appropriate to the nomination are encouraged but optional.
  

Several years back, The Western Planner Editorial Board advanced the notion that there should be incentives for people to want to submit articles to The Western Planner journal. The idea of an annual contest to select the best Feature Article of the Year was born. The incentive factor would be that contributors could feel proud to be personally recognized in their chosen field.

The recipient would be identified as a superior author with a fancy plaque to be posted on the wall at his or her job site and could bolster his or her resume for potential advancement in the future. By conducting this contest, WPR aims to cultivate interest in writing excellent articles for the journal. WPR recognizes and honors those who submit superior material for the planning community’s consumption.

In 2002, the WPR Editorial Board decided to name the Article of the Year Award after The Western Planner Founder Stan Steadman. Stan was the original publisher of The Western Planner journal and served as editor for many years. Many board members believe that without Stan, there would not be a WP Journal.

All WP feature articles published in the full year prior to the annual conference are distributed to the WPR Editorial Board members for review.  The WPR President presents the Feature Article of the Year plaque during the Award ceremony at the annual Western Planner Conference.

Following is the criteria by which submittals will be judged:

• Widespread applicability to the West
• Interesting writing
• Solutions are offered
• Ideas are provided for bringing together planners and their constituents—the public, elected officials, the development community.

* Click here to view the 2010 Stan Steadman Article of the Year.

Far more tongue-in-cheek than the Planner of the Year or Merit Awards, the Lester recognizes a planner who has, well, “extinguished” him or herself during the last year. Let’s face it: Being a planner in the West can be difficult.  One way planners cope is by having a sense of humor about the crazy things that happen both to them and around them in the course of doing their job. The award honors those who have survived the sometimes bizarre world of planning in the West.

Lester was a real person who came out to Montana from the East during the coal boom years in the 1970s. His legend has been told many times (to the delight of his audiences) by Stan Steadman, the father of the WP and an original editor. Lester didn’t have a clue what he was getting into. He got himself removed as a planner over and over again, including being selected as the honorary marshal for the “Forty Below Keeps the Riffraff Out Parade” in Two Dot, Montana.  He was escorted out of town and not invited back.

Over the years, the WPR Board has picked a recipient of the Lester during the annual conference. Past winners have extinguished themselves by being fired from a variety of jobs, having dealt with a cruel and unusual boss, taking three or four flights in order to get to a WP Conference, or even having a county commissioner appoint himself to the planning commission in order to vote on his own development plan…twice.

WPR enjoys recognizing planners who have carried on this proud tradition.  Please submit nominations for those who have extinguished themselves through unusual and possibly humorous events that represent the hardships Western Planners face.

Please keep in mind that this is a fun award and not intended to humiliate or embarrass anyone!  Make sure your nominee has a sense of humor about the situation and won’t mind it being retold.

The nomination should include:

1. Nominee’s name and place of employment
2. Nominator’s name, phone number, and e-mail address
3. Brief description of reason(s) why the nominee should receive the Lester Award

The WPR President’s Award is given at the discretion of the current WPR President.  Most all of those who work with The Western Planner are volunteers.  Recognition for many years of quality contributions, outstanding dedication, and perseverance through the challenging times and are all qualities that have been honored.

Click here for a complete list of award recipients.

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