Pioneer Awards

The Pioneer Awards Committee was created to be solely responsible for the annual award of Pioneer on those in our hobby who have truly contributed to the better enjoyment of our hobby.  The Committee is drawn from a combination of members with a background and experience in senior roles within the NMRA, the hobby trade and manufacturing.

The history of the award is long and was started in 1985 by the Model Railroad Industry Association, Inc. (and now included with the NMRA Pioneers in Model Railroading).  The NMRA took over responsibility for this award in 1994.  The Committee welcomes nominations from members which should be addressed to pioneer-chair [at] nmra.org.  While public nominations are accepted, the Committee decides all awardees in its sole discretion, and all decisions are final and non-appealable. T he Committee’s decisions on the annual awards are made towards the end of each year for presentation and announcement in the year ahead.  Nominations should thus be submitted no later than [30 September} to allow time for due consideration and any questions that might arise from Committee members.  The following will be helpful in composing any nomination.

The Pioneer Award recognizes those individuals who have had a profound impact on the hobby of model railroading, primarily (but not exclusively) in the area of producing products that were revolutionary, innovative or made significant improvements.  The candidates can be from any country in the world.  Any nomination must demonstrate to the Committee the contribution that the individual has made to the hobby, how impactful that has been and details of any developments from the original work.  It should also include a resumé of the nominee's life/career in the hobby and whether they are still active, alive etc.  Any nomination for individuals who have passed should be supported by contact details of alternative recipients to take the award on his/her behalf, for example family or the company of relevant employment.

When considering a nomination, a review of the list of past recipients on the NMRA website might prove helpful.  For the list click here.