Editorial: Nominees all known for efforts

Who deserves your vote for Hawke's Bay Today's Person of the Year?

What do a barrister, a meat industry stalwart, a local body councillor, a singer, a chemical engineer, a community worker and a school principal have in common?

Well, among other nominees, they're all in the running for the 2015 Hawke's Bay Today Person of the Year award.

Many are well-known. Some have been nominated for a singular act of greatness, while others' names have been put forward due to their decades of hard work.

Most of the people who have been nominated we've written about countless times due to their enduring contributions to community.

But then there are the few whose names have never made the newspaper.

These are the silent toilers, the understated heroes of the community known only to the many whose lives are changed by crossing paths with them.

By nature they'd be embarrassed about being nominated - but don't let that stop you from dobbing them in.

We want to hear from anyone who thinks there's someone out there, whether well known or completely unheralded, who deserves some serious acknowledgment for their extraordinary efforts.

The mix of nominations (which happens every year) always reminds us that contributions to the community can be made on many levels.

The judging panel, which will soon be announced, will decide on a winner later this month.

All nominations can be emailed to news@hbtoday.co.nz with a few sentences explaining why you have chosen to nominate that person. The winner of the 2015 Hawke's Bay Today Person of the Year will be announced before Christmas.