Do you know someone who should receive the Golden Pencil award?

There is still time to submit your nominations for the Canadian grocery industry’s most prestigious award: the Golden Pencil.

The deadline to submit is May 31.

The Golden Pencil recognizes a person’s lifetime contributions to the grocery industry.

CLICK HERE to nominate someone for the Golden Pencil award

Traditionally, two awards are presented per year: one to a person on the retailer side of the business and another to someone on the supplier side.

Ideal candidates for the award will have been involved with the Canadian grocery industry a minimum of 10 years and achieved senior executive status. They should also have made significant contributions to the Canadian food industry and to their companies.

Recipients will be recognized at the annual Golden Pencil awards presentation, Nov. 23 in Toronto at the Fairmont Royal York.

The Golden Pencil award, originally called the “Knights of the Golden Pencil Award”, was first presented in 1957 by the Food Industry Association of Canada, a non-profit that continues to oversee the award to this day.

The award was established by Paul Higgins Sr. to recognize the efforts of both buyer and seller to develop and improve the Canadian food industry.

The symbol used for the award is a golden pencil, signifying the transaction between supplier and retailer by the stroke of a pen.

Last year’s recipients were Marc Guay of PepsiCo Foods and Louise Wendling of Costco.

Other past winners include Ivor Crimp of Dominion Stores (1966); Sam Shopsowitz of Shopsy's Foods (1976); Richard Currie of Loblaw Companies (1988) and Tim Penner of Procter & Gamble (2005).

For more information on the awards or to submit a nominee, click here.