The 2018 National Heroes Day, one of the largest annual cultural events in the Cayman Islands, will honour contributions in sports.

Members of the 2018 National Heroes Day nominations committee held their first meeting on Wednesday (9 August) to begin planning the event.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Culture Hon. Dwayne Seymour, Acting Minister for Sports Barbara Conolly, Councillor for Sports David Wight and Councillor Capt. Eugene Ebanks.

“There are many local contributors in sports that these awards could be bestowed upon,” said Mr. Seymour. “I look forward to working with everyone as we plan this great event and go through the nominations from the public.”

The committee, which is also comprised of government officials and representatives from local sports groups, will accept nominations by the public from 1 to 30 September 2017. Members of the public will be invited to nominate people that they feel have made significant contributions to sports in the Cayman Islands.

The process is overseen by members of the committee who will select the successful nominees.
Recipients will be recognised at the National Heroes Day ceremony scheduled for Monday, 29 January 2018.

The award categories are:
Early Pioneer: An individual, alive or deceased, who made significant contributions to the early development and/or delivery of sports in the Cayman Islands prior to 1960.
Pioneer: An individual, alive or deceased, who has made significant contributions to sports between 1960 and 2006.
Emerging Pioneer: An individual who has made significant contributions to sports from 2007 to present.
Memorial Scroll: A deceased person who was a leader or notable contributor to the development and/or delivery of sports.
Long Service Award: A living individual who may not have been a leader, but a long-serving person in the sports community, who has contributed for 10 years or more.

The Government’s Protocol Office organises the annual National Heroes Day ceremony with assistance from the Ministry of Culture.