Nominations Now Open!!
Start planning your nominations TODAY!
We're excited to announce that nominations for our 2018 Top HAT Awards are officially OPEN ! We've worked hard to open up nominations earlier and provide an extended window so you have the time to submit the best possible nomination! Also, we have a NEW award this year in the Marketing category - "Best Social Media Campaign!"
Marketing Awards
  • Best Print Campaign
  • Best Digital Campaign
  • Best Social Media Campaign - new this year!
  • Best Broadcast Campaign
  • Most Innovative Campaign
Product Development Awards
  • Outstanding Event
  • Outstanding Attraction
  • Best New Experience
Personnel Awards
  • Front-of-House F&B Employee of the Year
  • Front-of-House Hospitality Employee of the Year
  • Back-of-House F&B Employee of the Year
  • Back-of-House Hospitality Employee of the Year
Premier Awards
  • Supplier/Vendor of the Year
  • Hospitality Professional of the Year
  • Tourism Professional of the Year
  • Limited Service Hotel of the Year
  • Full Service Hotel of the Year
Deadline for all Top HAT Award submissions:
Friday, Sept. 14 at 5:00 pm (MT)
Preparing your nomination
Awards Criteria
Download our 2018 Top HAT Awards criteria form to review all of the information and content you will need to gather for any award you plan to submit a nomination. This will save you time and provide clarity.

We have revised some of the language outlining the parameters of some of the awards, along with some of the question fields, so please review the awards criteria form even if you have submitted an award in a previous year.
Nomination Tips
In order to ensure your nomination for any of our awards is as strong and comprehensive as possible, follow these helpful tips when completing your nomination:

  • Tell a story. This is our industry’s opportunity to celebrate excellence, but that excellence would not exist without the people. A terrific way to highlight achievement and exceeding the call of duty is to share stories about the nominee that demonstrate that fact.
  • Include numbers. No matter what award you are submitting a nomination for, there are numbers you can include to validate the success of your employee, team, campaign, event, venue, etc.
  • Focus on the recent. These are annual awards, and submissions should focus on the achievement over the past year. Please refrain from including information in your submission prior to 2018 or your most recent complete fiscal year, unless the information provides germane context to the recent achievement (percent increase in visitation, sales, etc.) The judging body will emphasize these criteria when evaluating submissions this year.
Deadline for all Top HAT Award submissions:
Friday, Sept. 14 at 5:00 pm (MT)
After your submission
Paying for your submission
After you have completed your submission, you are welcome to submit for another award! Members of the New Mexico Hospitality Association receive five (5) complementary submissions, with $10 per submission after the first five. Nominations from non-members are $15 per submission.
NMHA Members
Five (5) complementary submissions
$10 per submission (after first five)
General Submissions
$15 per submission
Register for the Top HAT Awards Gala
Of course, don't forget to register for the 2018 Top HAT Awards Gala, hosted at the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel on November 8, 2018! Registration is open, so be sure to reserve your seat or a table for your team while seats are still available! We do have early bird pricing, which ends Oct. 5.
Member Pricing
Individual ticket - $80
Table of 10 - $800
General Admission
Individual ticket - $110
Table of 10 - $1,100
*pricing increases after Oct. 5