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Community Spirit Awards

Nominations are now CLOSED for the 2025 Community Spirit Awards!

The City of Medicine Hat recognizes individuals, groups, teams, organizations and businesses who have made an extraordinary contribution to the community, and who by their dedication, activities and/or accomplishments have enhanced the quality of life in Medicine Hat.

There are seven categories in which residents can nominate deserving individuals within the 'Awards of Service' category and two awards within the ‘Awards of Excellence’ category. 

In addition, the Community Spirit Awards also includes an ongoing 'Awards of Achievement' category, reserved to commend individuals or groups in two categories: Arts/Culture and Sports/Recreation.

Awards of Service are given to an individual, group, team, organization, or business who, outside of their core business, has made a major contribution to enhance the quality of life in Medicine Hat including:

  • Arts/Culture – developing or supporting cultural activities, including visual, or performing arts in a volunteer or professional capacity
  • Civic Pride – promoting our distinctive quality of life to our citizens and the world
  • Community Inclusion – supporting others in their ability to participate fully, contribute to one's community to the fullest extent possible, and to have value attached to one's participation and contribution
  • Compassion – demonstrating care and concern to promote the health and well-being of others
  • Environment – preserving, restoring or enhancing our natural environment
  • Sports/Recreation – developing or supporting recreational, physical, or leisure activities or organized competition in volunteer or professional capacity
  • Volunteerism – giving of one's time, talent or knowledge for the betterment of others in the community

  • Heart of Medicine Hat - an individual, organization or business who outside of their core business, has made a major contribution to enhance the quality of life in Medicine Hat in a variety of areas for at least the past 15 years
  • Change Maker – an individual, organization or business who, outside of their core business, has made a major contribution to enhance the quality of life in Medicine Hat in the past five years through innovation, advocacy, or leadership through social, economic or urban development

Along with new biennial award categories and nominations, the Community Spirit Awards now support an ongoing Award of Achievement category. These nominations remain open for applications and awards received throughout the year. 

  • Arts/Culture - an individual or team in an amateur or professional competition who has competed and placed first in a provincial championship or who has placed first, second or third in a national or international competition
  • Sports/Recreation - an individual or team in an amateur or professional competition who has competed and placed first in a provincial championship or who has placed first, second or third in a national or international competition.

Nomination process

The deadline to submit a nomination was Monday, June 16, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.


Selection process

A Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the Community Vibrancy Board, recommends recipients to City Council from the nominations received.


Gala event and award presentation

The 2025 Community Spirit Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Wednesday, October 8 at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre


 Past recipients

Robert Pape

Arts/Culture

Willy and Cindy Taillon

Civic Pride

Kristen Sept

Community Inclusion

Kym Porter

Compassion

George Kovalev

Compassion 

James and Coreen Sheardown

Sports/Recreation

Brenda Taylor

Volunteerism

Kendra Albrecht

Volunteerism

Terry Noble

Volunteerism

Donna Serr

Heart of Medicine Hat

Karen Saffran

Change Maker

 

Derek Whitson Community Inclusion
Helen Snortland Compassion 
Medicine Hat Curling Club Compassion
Gerry Ehlert Environment 
Medicine Hat Interpretive Program Environment 
Medicine Hat College Rattlers Athletics Sports/Recreation 
Nicholas Samuelson Volunteerism 
Prairie Gleaners Society Volunteerism 
Martha Munz Gue Heart of Medicine Hat 

 

Evelyn Kleis Arts & Culture
Bill Wahl Arts & Culture
Medicine Hat Alberta Games Society Sports & Recreation
Allen Parker Sports & Recreation
SEAWA Environment
Uwe Krickhahn Environment
MHC Community Engagement Program Volunteerism
Gordon & Sherry Nott Volunteerism
Doug Heine Volunteerism
 Malcolm Sissons Civic Pride 
 South Country Co-op Heart of Medicine Hat 

Arne Handley Cultural 
Gerald Freeman Humanitarian
John Slater  Environmental 
Stan Sakamoto Community Service 

Ted Woolfrey Sports & Recreation
Eldon Wells Humanitarian
Sean Allen Environmental
Tara Chisholm Community Inclusion
Ina & Piet Visser Cultural
Prairie Gleaners Society Community Service

Janice Dynes Humanitarian
Jan Scott Environmental
Jay Hitchen Community Inclusion
Marg Derbyshire Sports & Recreation
Kinette Club of Medicine Hat Community Service

Laara Cassells Cultural
Diane MacNaughton Humanitarian
Corlaine Gardner Environmental
Celina Symmonds Community Inclusion
Wally Garrioch Community Service

Erin Doyle Cultural
Catherine McCulloch Humanitarian
Charles Leong Sports & Recreation
Medicine Hat Community Housing Society Community Inclusion
Dr. Larry Henderson Community Service

David John Carter Cultural
Elaine & Linda McDonald Humanitarian
Veronica Swan Environmental
David Hinds (posthumous) Community Inclusion

Albert William "Billy" Jones Cultural
Michael O'Shea Environmental
Norma J. Smith Humanitarian
Peter Schori Sports & Recreation
Randy Stolz & Del Phillion Community Inclusion

Evan Tonin Cultural
Rob Gardner Environmental
Evelyn Stall Humanitarian
YMCA - Living Fit Program Community Inclusion

Lesley Clement Cultural
Philip Horch Environmental
Bill Byzuk Humanitarian
Michael Anctil Sports & Recreation
John John Council's Choice

 

Les Manning Cultural
Muriel Rogers Humanitarian
Desmond Grant Sports & Recreation
Laurie Sharland Council's Choice

Judy Dickie Cultural
Lyle Rebbeck Cultural
Martha Munz-Gue Environmental
Rita Bessant Humanitarian
Kathleen Farrell Humanitarian
Joseph Sisko Humanitarian
Larry Godin Sports & Recreation
Norman Smith Council's Choice

Dana Shukster Cultural
Gail Frandsen Humanitarian
Tillie Ganden Humanitarian
Ed Horvath Sports & Recreation
Ron Zablocki Sports & Recreation

Elaine Freedman Cultural
Robert Townsend Environmental
Hazel Brodin Humanitarian
Ken Sauer Humanitarian
Hardy Hilgendorf Sports & Recreation
Doris Shabatka Cultural & Humanitarian

Elizabeth Nadeau Humanitarian
Harold Winkler Cultural
Merv Kopperud Environmental
Denise Palmer Sports & Recreation

Garth Vallely Humanitarian
George Copeman Sports & Recreation
Anne Bernhardt Environmental
Les Stanford Humanitarian

Doug Heine Humanitarian
Kathleen Pratt Humanitarian
Brian Rinke Sports & Recreation
Joanne Collier Cultural
Linda Canham Environmental

Tom Dutton Humanitarian
John Paul Ignatius Humanitarian
Helene Tarnasky Sports & Recreation
Donna Maclean Cultural
Carol Porter Environmental

Ethyl Currie Humanitarian
Irene Knutson Humanitarian
Leonard (Hymie) Hanft Cultural
Dawn Dickinson Environmental
Bill Page Sports & Recreation

Don Reid Humanitarian
Julie Lauzier Cultural
Dennis Baresco Environmental

William (Bill) Grady Humanitarian
Sandy Morrice Humanitarian
Louise Vernal Cultural
Ben Velner Environmental
Kenneth Schneider

Sports & Recreation

Gloria Bish Humanitarian
Sheila Church Humanitarian
Jo & Emil Schlenker Cultural
Kathy Kopperud Environmental
Linda Sohn Sports & Recreation

Bob Ridley Sports & Recreation

Vera Bracken Humanitarian
Vinko & Sulvia Luksa Humanitarian
Noreen Foster Humanitarian
John E. Baty Cultural
Harold Leitch Sports & Recreation

Shirley Dupmeier Humanitarian
James H. Toole Sports & Recreation
Uwe Krickhahn Environmental

Tay Hashizume Cultural
Harvey Berger Environmental
Dr. Clarence Smith Humanitarian
Rev. Allan Hunt Humanitarian

Dale Lawrence Sports & Recreation
Jim Driscoll Humanitarian
James Marshall Cultural
Ann Slofstra Environmental

Lovell McDonnell Sports & Recreation
Wayne Craven Cultural
Leah Slater Humanitarian

Moose Ball Complex Committee:

Bob Lentz, Robert Ibach, Ron Larson, Mike Ibach, Louis Kopp, Frank Merkl

Sports & Recreation
Martha Huckle Cultural
Lorne Holden Humanitarian

Steve Sadownik Jr. Sports & Recreation
Ronald Miller Cultural
John Gruber Sports & Recreation

John Komanchuk Cultural

Allan Jensen Cultural
Kathy Smeland Sports & Recreation
William Klasky Sports & Recreation

Crystal Fried Sports & Recreation
Lucy Milne Professional Achievement
Jim White Sports & Recreation

Dr. Hope Johnson Cultural
Jennifer White Sports & Recreation

Murray Cluff Sports & Recreation
Jim Oldham Sports & Recreation

Ronnie Burkett Cultural

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