Editorial: Nominate person of the year

Time to vote for Hawke's Bay's Person of the Year.

The hunt is on for the 2015 Hawke's Bay Today Person of the Year.

Now in its third instalment, the annual end-of-year celebration is a great lead into the festive mood and a glowing endorsement of someone we think deserves his or her name in lights.

As readers will know, the bar has already been set extraordinarily high. The inaugural 2013 title was clinched by Flaxmere Boxing Academy head coach Craig McDougall, while Children's Commissioner and paediatrician Dr Russell Wills was the 2014 winner.

Given the wealth of local folk who could easily slot into the top 10, we'll again handle the hard yards (like choosing an eventual winner) and leave the easy task of nominating, to you.

So what are the criteria?

Perhaps someone who has made a significant contribution to the Hawke's Bay community in terms of charity, fundraising or other non-profit organisation, or someone who has achieved remarkable success in their chosen business, career or sport. Maybe a local who has demonstrated courageous or heroic actions.

Most of us know of one, if not a handful of people, whose contribution to our lives and the wider community deserves public acknowledgment. We're keen to get a far-reaching representation of whoever you think fits the bill. For many it's been a tough year, and from a newspaper's perspective it's a privilege to be able to round off the year on a salutary note.

A judging panel to choose the eventual winner will be confirmed soon.

Hence, as of today, we're asking for nominations. All nominations can be emailed to news@hbtoday.co.nz with a few sentences explaining why you have chosen to nominate that person. Once a decision has been made we'll announce the 2015 Hawke's Bay Today Person of the Year before Christmas.