NABC Awards

Blueberry Hall of Fame Award

The NABC Hall of Fame Award is a new recognition that honors and celebrates blueberry leaders, growers, and suppliers who have made a lasting impact on the blueberry industry in North America. The award was established as the council’s and industry’s highest honor and is open to influential leaders both past and present.  

Nomination Eligibility
Nominations will be accepted from:
• Individuals in the blueberry industry.
• NABC’s Nomination Committee.
• NABC employees.

Evaluation Criteria Accomplishments must be centered around moving the blueberry industry forward.

Selection is based upon candidate attributes in leadership, collaboration, industry support, longevity, and innovation. The value of these contributions is the primary criterion.

Nominees must meet the following criteria:
• Impeccable character.
• Outstanding leadership impacting the blueberry industry.
• Noteworthy contributions.
• Appropriate recognition for achievements.

Examples of criteria:

• A strong presence in the industry, both as a leader and as a mentor.
• Innovator: Responsible for a major breakthrough in the industry’s prominence, relevance, or success.
• Pioneer: In production, marketing, or health research.
• Volunteer leadership: Years of dedicated service to the industry and a collaborative nature, with specific exceptional examples or traits cited.

The Duke Galletta Award

The Duke Galletta Award recognizes excellence in blueberry horticultural research. 

The award is named in honor of Duke Galletta of Atlantic Blueberry, an inaugural member of the NABC. Galletta was very involved in blueberry varietal development and worked with USDA plant breeders, allowing them to set up test plots on Atlantic Blueberry land. Galletta had such an influence on the blueberry industry that the “Duke” variety is named after him. 

Nominees for the Duke Galletta Award:
• Have demonstrated leadership in research within the blueberry industry.
• Have contributed to the blueberry industry development.

The Alex Wetherbee Award

The Alex Wetherbee Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the blueberry industry in marketing and promotion.

Alex Wetherbee was one of the NABC’s founders and a blueberry marketer from New Jersey who was respected industry wide for his passion in promoting blueberries. Wetherbee was known for regularly saying “yes” to opportunities to promote the blueberry industry, and donated significant time to the NABC Promotion Committee. The award was previously known as the Calyx Award. 

Nomination Eligibility
Nominations will be accepted from:
• Individuals in the blueberry industry.
• NABC’s Nomination Committee.
• NABC employees.

Nominees for the Alex Wetherbee Award: • Have contributed to the awareness and market success of blueberries. • Have demonstrated leadership and innovation in efforts to promote the blueberry industry.