The National Cheese Institute is now accepting nominations for its highest honor, the NCI Laureate Award. The award winner will be recognized at a special ceremony during IDFA's Dairy Forum 2010, January 17-20, in Phoenix. Nominations must be submitted by October 9; there is no fee to enter.

Candidates should be business or academic leaders who have made significant, prolonged contributions to the development and growth of the cheese industry. The award recipient is chosen by a panel of industry professionals based on a nominee's overall career achievements.

"The success and growth of the U.S. cheese industry is driven by people who dedicate themselves to quality cheesemaking," said NCI president and CEO Connie Tipton. "With this award, we're looking to celebrate those individual contributions."

Award winners have ranged from cheese company founders and marketers to dairy microbiologists. Previous winners of the NCI Laureate Award include Jerome Schuman, Larry Ferguson, John Jeter, Mark Davis, Wes Allen, Elmer Marth, Max Gonzenbach, Rudy Nef, Betsy Holden, Don Menzner, Don Storhoff, Lester Kielsmeier, Hans Epprecht, Norm Olson, Vince Zehren, Jack Budahn, Leonard Gentine Sr., Raymond Goldbach, Harold Steinke, John Nelson and Dave Nusbaum.

This year's winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to IDFA's Dairy Forum 2010, which will be held January 17-20 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. (The winner will be responsible for all tax liabilities.) IDFA's Dairy Forum is widely regarded as the most important conference of the year for dairy processors, producers, suppliers and policy makers.

For more information and a nomination form, contact Tracy Boyle, IDFA director of boards and employee relations, at tboyle@idfa.org or visit www.idfa.org.