Vote Now: The OKIE AWARDS Are Here!

Hey y'all, Nate here. I'm not going to waste your time with some whole big preamble—if you want to vote, the link is below. Scroll further down to learn how we determined our nominees.

BE THE FIRST TO FIND OUT THE WINNERS: CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE NOW AND USE COUPON CODE OKIES TO GET $10 OFF OUR REGULAR RATE!

Click the link at the top of the page to vote now!

I was thinking awhile back about an award Oklahoma Today used to give out: In 1992, this magazine named Garth Brooks—who was one of the biggest stars in the world that year—the inaugural Oklahoman of the Year. We coined the phrase and continued to name an Oklahoman of the Year until 2014. They included other musical bigwigs like Toby Keith and Vince Gill; businesspeople like Clay Bennett, Larry Nichols, and Mary Beth Babcock; creators like Mike Larsen and Tracy Letts; and other of-their-moment Oklahoma notables and heroes like Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Shannons Miller and Lucid, and more. We sunset the program in 2014, and another publication trademarked the phrase, and as far as Oklahoma Today was concerned, Oklahoman of the Year was a thing of the past.

Garth Brooks (1992), Fern Holland (2005), and Mary Beth Babcock (2011) were three of our many Oklahomans of the Year.

Then earlier this year, I got an itch: I wanted to bring it back in some format. We can no longer use the phrase, so that's out. And I wanted to honor more than just one thing. So, The Okie Awards were born! Here's how it works:

We assembled a large panel of more than a dozen Oklahomans—all experts in their fields, including music, travel, history, and Oklahoma culture—and asked them for nominations in categories that fit their expertise. Once we had those in, all the panelists voted in a blind ballot, and in a spreadsheet on my laptop is a list of Okie Awards winners, which we'll publish in our November/December issue—along with a profile of our Okie(s) of the Year and another special award we will announce soon.

Now here's where you come in: I took the top five vote-getters in each category, and we've created a People's Choice Award in almost all of our categories, because we want to hear from you! AND, we've created some People's Choice-only awards, including those for our state parks.

**So click over to our Okie Awards ballot and cast your vote now!**

**Visit Yukon** is sponsoring the 2025 Okie Awards, and **Yukon Trophy** is making the physical pieces. They're going to be gorgeous, and you'll see them soon. We've also got an event coming up that you'll be invited to, so keep your eyes open for that (details TBD).

Winners will be announced in our November/December issue, and we've got a special deal: Just subscribe now and use coupon code OKIES when you check out to receive $10 off our regular rate.

Written By

Nathan Gunter

A sixth-generation Oklahoman, Weatherford native, and Westmoore High School graduate, Nathan Gunter is the magazine's editor-in-chief. When he's not editor-in-chiefing, Nate enjoys live music, running, working out, gaming, cooking, and random road trips with no particular destination in mind. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Oklahoma. He learned how to perform poetry from Maya Angelou; how to appreciate Italian art from Terisio Pignatti; comedy writing from Doug Marlette; how to make coconut cream pie from his great-grandma; and how not to approach farm dogs from trial and error. A seminary dropout, he lives just off Route 66 in Oklahoma City.