ABOUT THE AFRO UTAH AWARDS

The Afro Utah awards are awarded to honor those individuals who are changing the way blacks and people of Afro descent are perceived in the community and contributing tremendously to the state at large.

The Afro Utah Awards are presented to honor individuals who are changing and developing the communities of Black or people of Afro descent. These honorees are also recognized for making outstanding contributions to the state of Utah as a whole.

Our ceremony will showcase the outstanding contributions, achievements, accomplishments, and talents of Blacks or people of Afro descent in Utah.

We welcome your participation in the nominations for the 2023 Afro Utah Awards. If you know anyone who embodies the aforementioned qualities, please consider nominating them for an award.

There are 11 categories this year. Please submit a separate online form for each award nomination.

THE FOLLOWING ARE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 11 AWARD CATEGORIES, FOLLOWED BY A REQUEST FOR YOUR NOMINATION 

The Afro Utah COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD is an award honoring and celebrating the service of extraordinary service members (veterans, active duty, and reservists) of Afro descent. The selected honoree would demonstrate exemplary contributions to the community and have a proven track record showing their significant impact on the Black community within Utah. Additional criteria:
* Must be in good standing with their community
* Must be in good standing with their affiliated military organization.
*For veterans, must have been honorably discharged
*Must provide supporting documents, such as a DD-214.

The Afro Utah NOBLE RELIGION AWARD. This award recognizes Afro persons of faith or religious organizations who have made an outstanding contribution in the field of religion, encouraging people of their denomination to grow stronger in their faith, as well as developing programs and projects that have significantly impacted the lives of blacks in their congregation and their community.

The Afro Utah AUTHENTIC POLITICS AWARDS Recognizes persons of color or Afro descent in the field of politics that have contributed tremendously to making changes to laws that affect black or Afro descent people in the country and particularly in the state of Utah. Such a person has to have made substantial contributions to freedom and democracy. A person that has encouraged blacks or people of Afro descent to exercise their civic and political rights, a person who has had a practical involvement in the development of mutual understanding of blacks and non-black communities in the state of Utah

The Afro Utah ATHLETE AWARD recognizes sportsmen and sportswomen of color or Afro descent in the state of Utah. Celebrating their highest sporting achievements, and even more so honoring those whose actions have transcended the court, track, or field of play to helping others and giving back.

The Afro Utah ENTERTAINMENT AWARD is presented to an individual or groups of color or Afro descent with unique talents and performance that contributes to the entertainment industry and their community. Recipients may be from any Afro nation and are recognized for
the arts, music, dance, poetry, books, Films, television, radio, and other prints. The recipient must be involved in establishing, defending, and promoting—among other things the growth of other young black or Afro persons in the industry.

The Afro Utah ADVOCATES AWARD celebrates the achievements and work of community advocates and activists of Afro descent, who use their time, talents, money, and actions to plead the cause of others. Such groups or individuals should be associated with making significant contributions to the community through dedication. The honoree selected should serve as a role model for compassion, and service and be striving to make the world a better place. They should have a passion for helping others and are dedicated to educating others about their cause.

The Afro Utah HUMANITARIAN AWARD honors individuals or groups in Utah from any of the Afro Nations that have contributed significantly to alleviating human suffering and improving the quality of life and oral health of individuals in Utah. Honorees must demonstrate impactful leadership and outstanding humanitarian efforts, including volunteering accomplishments that would bring honor to the humanitarian profession.

Afro Utah’s Best black business of the year AWARD is awarded to Black-owned businesses that have been in business for more than five fiscal years and have demonstrated significant business success. We hope to recognize a black business based on its performance over the past five years, on the merits of job creation, innovation, customer service, and exemplary management.
Businesses must be an independent, for-profit corporation, partnerships, or proprietorships.

• Evidence of community service contributions or involvement
• Proven efforts to advance the African American business community
• Exhibits revenue and/or employee growth
• Evidence of community service contributions or involvement
• Proven success stories and testimonials
• Accomplishments in advising African American business groups within the overall
business community
• Commitment and innovation for increasing business opportunities through mentoring,
facilitating enhanced finance options, etc.
• Awards or recognitions received

The Afro Utah HEALTH PROFESSIONAL AWARD recognizes individuals of Afro descent who have made significant contributions to making the health industry in Utah outstanding. These individuals have contributed tremendously to the advancement of medical science, medical education or medical care for people of color, minorities, and the underserved/ underrepresented