QLDC spokeswoman Rebecca Pitts said 22 nominations were submitted.
"We are really pleased with the quality of the nominations. We have received more than in previous years, so that's great."
The nominations will be judged by a panel and the awards will be presented at a ceremony in Wanaka on Thursday.
The awards were established in 2002 with six categories.
Nominations are:
Arts
Marilyn Smith - nominated by the Creative Queenstown committee
- Ms Smith, of Queenstown, has been the Queenstown Arts and Crafts Market manager for the past four years and has worked alongside stallholders every Saturday and some Sundays to provide a vibrant, interesting market for visitors and locals to enjoy.
- She is also a stallholder, selling her fleece hats and scarves.
Alexa Forbes - nominated by Creative Queenstown
- Ms Forbes has been the chairwoman of the Creative Queenstown Committee for five years.
- She has been involved in the arts scene in Queenstown for many years, and has judged for the Southern Lakes Performing Arts Awards.
- She also does pro bono PR work for arts groups and is a trustee of the Bruce Grant Trust.
Fiona Campbell - nominated by Gallery Thirty Three
- Ms Campbell, of Wanaka, founded the Real Art Roadshow, one of New Zealand's largest travelling art exhibitions, which visited 132 schools last year.
- She won the 2009 National Business Review Sponsorship of the Arts Supreme Award.
Youth
Emily Burns - nominated by QLDC arts co-ordinator Jan Maxwell
- Emily, of Queenstown, is a Wakatipu High School pupil and a member of the Queenstown Community Choir.
- She has sung at many community events, including the Teddy Bears' Picnic, Christmas shows, Anzac concert, Winter Festival senior citizens' lunch and the national anthem at the opening of the Golden Oldies Netball Festival.
- She was also a judge at the Queenstown Primary School talent quest.
Hannah James - nominated by Wanaka youth workers Richard Elvey and Kim Holmes
- Hannah, of Wanaka, is a Mt Aspiring College pupil.
- She has been involved in student council and played a main role in organising the school's formal.
- She helped organise youth week and other alcohol and drug-free parties as she is a Students Against Drink Driving representative for the school.
- She is completing the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Service Award and Students in the Community programme and has helped out with the Special Olympics skiing and snowboarding.
Andrew Stewart - nominated by Lake Hawea Library manager Gaye Crosswell.
- Andrew, of Wanaka, is a Mt Aspiring College pupil who has volunteered at the library on Saturday mornings and during school holidays for the past three years.
- He is a responsible and reliable volunteer and has managed the library on his own for short periods.
- He completed the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Service Award.
Social and cultural
Glen Reid - nominated by cricket player Brendan Winder
- Mr Reid, known as Scooter, of Queenstown, contributes time, effort and expertise to many organisations in the district.
- He is captain of the Wakatipu Rugby Club, manager of the Pelicans cricket team and also Showbiz Queenstown and the Winter Festival.
Peg Walker - nominated by Queenstown library manager Robyn Robertson
- Ms Walker, of Queenstown, has helped at the library most school holidays with the children's programmes, for several years.
David Giles - nominated by the Kingston Community Association
- Mr Giles, of Kingston, has contributed to the extension of the fire station and new St John building in Kingston by making jams and preserves.
- He donated $1 for every jar sold and has reached $10,000 for the building fund.
- He travelled to weekly farmers markets to sell the jars.
Clarice May - nominated by Mayor Clive Geddes
- Ms May (92), of Queenstown, bakes for and visits elderly people in the community, most of whom are 10 or more years her junior.
Murray Dunick - nominated by QLDC emergency management officer Brendan Winder
- Mr Dunick, of Makarora, is the manager of Makarora's Wilderness Resort.
- He was nominated because he went beyond the call of duty at a car crash near the resort in January.
- He was the first on the scene and helped firefighters free a French woman trapped under a van.
- She was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital so Mr Dunick drove the woman's car with her husband and two children to Dunedin, where he stayed in a motel for the night and got the bus back to Makarora.
Upper Clutha Tracks Trust - nominated by QLDC councillor Leigh Overton
- The trust has secured funding for the construction of three walking and cycle trails around Wanaka: the Albert Town to Luggate track, the Albert Town to Hawea track and the extension of the Millennium Track to Glendhu Bay.
Carolyne Johnson - nominated by the Wakatipu Abuse Prevention Network
- Ms Johnson, of Queenstown, donated her time to help with the renovations of the network's new premises.
- She convinced Queenstown business and tradespeople to give their time and materials free or at little cost.
Environmental and Heritage
Chris Wilson - nominated by QLDC emergency management officer Brendan Winder
- Mr Wilson is the Chief Fire Officer of the Makarora Volunteer Rural Fire Force.
- He has been involved in fundraising events for upgrading vehicles and equipment.
- The improvement in gear and training has helped in recruiting and retaining more volunteers to make the Makarora force one of the strongest in the region.
John Turnbull - nominated by Caroline Harker
- Mr Turnbull, of Hawea, is in his late 80s.
- He has just retired as chairman of Forest and Bird Central Otago-Lakes branch and has been involved in conservation projects for many years.
- He made a major contribution to tenure review, completing reports and submissions on close to 100 pastoral leases in the South Island.
- He worked on the Hawea foreshore removing wilding pines and planting native trees and organised Wild Rivers Day in the Nevis Valley.
William Dolan - nominated by the Queenstown and District Historical Society committee
- Mr Dolan, of Arrowtown, has been on the Arrowtown Trust committee for 10 years, the past six as chairman.
- He helped the trust restore the three Buckingham St cottages.
- He is president of the Queenstown and District Historical Society and has been involved in documenting historical items and co-operating with the QLDC on its heritage strategy.
- He was also involved in the restoration of Paradise House.
Taylor Reed - nominated by Lakes District Museum director David Clarke
- Mr Reed, of Arrowtown, has been on the board of the museum since 1980, spending seven years as chairman and 21 as treasurer and chairman of the finance committee.
- He is a former Arrowtown borough councillor, QLDC councillor, planning committee member and was on the planning advisory group.
- He has written two histories on the first 50 years of the museum and the 100 years of the Arrowtown Bowling Club.
Business
QLDC's Wanaka horticulture and street cleaning team - nominated by QLDC councillor Lyal Cocks
- The team has kept the Wanaka gardens and streets maintained to a high standard.
- The team is diligent and provides a high level of service.
Wanaka's Infinity Investment Group
- The company has been committed to donating money to community groups, sports clubs and events in Wanaka, Queenstown and nationwide.
- It has supported more than 40 groups and events including Warbirds Over Wanaka, Wankafest, Upper Clutha A and P Society, rugby club, hockey club, Wanaka Fire Brigade, Cure Kids, Epilepsy Foundation and Mt Aspiring College.
Otago Polytechnic Centre for Sustainable Practice
- The centre has worked with Queenstown's public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve a more sustainable future and to contribute to New Zealand's 100% Pure promise.
- It developed the Queenstown Lakes Sustainable Business Programme and introduced New Zealand's first biodiesel refuelling facility in Queenstown.
Landscape and Urban Design
Nominated by QLDC urban designer Nick Karlovsky
Walker Architects
- For the Mountaineer Building's sense of scale appropriate to context and sensitively accommodating the Mountaineer facade.
Michael Wyatt Architects
- For the Ngai Tahu Precinct's sequence of successful outdoor areas around a resuscitated section of Horne Creek.
Baxter Design and the Village Green
- For the reworking of hard landscape fittings and features including information panels and seating areas.
