October 22 at the Egan Center in Anchorage
The Alaska Federation of Natives Board of Directors announced today that one of AFN’s most popular annual events will take the spotlight in its very own venue – the first annual President’s Awards Honor Luncheon will take place on Friday, October 22 in the Egan Center’s Cook Hall.
“The President’s Awards have long been one of our most popular Convention events,” said AFN President Julie Kitka, “This year our honorees will receive even greater recognition for their amazing work on behalf of our communities, taking center stage at a dedicated award luncheon hosted on their behalf.”
Every year, AFN members from across the state submit nominations for AFN’s President’s Awards in an array of categories from Culture Bearer to Elder of the Year, Hunter-Fisher and Health (a full list of the categories and criteria is included below). A winner is announced for each category during AFN Convention week at the end of October. The AFN board of directors will choose Citizen of the Year and Denali Award winners, who will be announced at the Honor Luncheon this year as well. The deadline for President’s Awards nominations to be submitted via the AFN website is September 23, 2011.
This year’s President’s Awards Honor Luncheon will feature a full hosted lunch and on-stage tribute to the winners. Luncheon tickets and table sponsorships can be reserved online or by calling AFN directly. The proceedings will be broadcast live online by Blueberry Productions of Anchorage, with the livestream easily accessible through the AFN website.
The AFN Convention is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any Native peoples. Delegates meet to discuss current events and issues. Approximately 4,000–5,000 delegates and participants attend each year, and the proceedings are broadcast live via television and radio reaching Alaska Natives and non-Natives alike from Barrow to Ketchikan, from the Aleutian Chain to the Canadian border.