Conference of |
CIMA Awards
The Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists grants up to five awards annually: Lifetime Achievement, Service, Mentor, Innovator, and Archival Projects Award.
CIMA is currently accepting nominations for the 2026 CIMA Awards. Up to five awards may be presented at the CIMA Annual Meeting in Cedar City, Utah, on May 13-15, 2026.
Please submit letters of nomination and appropriate documentation to Jessica Maddox at maddoxj@unr.edu. Additional materials not listed as required or optional will not be considered. Nominations must be submitted by a CIMA member; however, nominees do not have to be members of CIMA. Self-nominations are welcome. All members are encouraged to participate in the nomination process and may remain anonymous if desired.
Nominations will be reviewed by the CIMA Awards Committee, which is comprised of members from Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. The committee will recommend award recipients to CIMA Council in early March 2025; recipients and their nominators will be notified by March 31, 2025.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented by the peers and colleagues of the recipient, the prestigious CIMA Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges and demonstrates appreciation for a life of service and leadership in the archival profession or for significant continued support of the archival community and its institutions. Nominees must have demonstrated strong leadership and advanced scholarship on regional and national levels.
Required for nomination: Nomination letter, CV or resume of nominee
Optional: Up to two (2) supporting letters of recommendation.
Past Recipients:
| 2010 — Guy Rocha | 2021 — Robert Spindler |
| 2011 — Max J. Evans | 2022 — Paula Mitchell |
| 2012 — Alan Virta | 2023 — Matt Heiss |
| 2013 — Karen Underhill 2024 — Cory Nimer | 2024 — Cory Nimer |
| 2014 — Walter Jones and John Sillito | 2025 — Michael Don Fraser |
| 2015 — Melanie Sturgeon and Gregory C. Thompson | |
| 2016 — Jeffrey Kintop and Terry B. Nelson | |
| 2017 — Richard Turley | |
| 2018 — Patricia Smith-Mansfield | |
| 2019 — Peter Michel |
Service Award
The CIMA Service Award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions in recent years to the CIMA organization, to the archival institutions of the intermountain region, or to the archival profession. The award is given in appreciation for service, leadership, and support of the region’s archival community. Nominees must have demonstrated an inspirational spirit and have worked to build a career based on service but may not have yet achieved many of the career milestones required for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Required for nomination: Nomination letter, CV or resume of nominee
Optional: Up to two (2) supporting letters of recommendation.
Past Recipients:
| 2010 — Su Kim Chung | 2020 — Stephanie Milne-Lane |
| 2011 — Stephen C. Sturgeon | 2021 — Roger Myers |
| 2012 — Elizabeth Perkes | 2022 — Gina Strack |
| 2013 — J. Gordon Daines III | 2023 — Cynthia Laframboise |
| 2014 — Michael Don Fraser | 2024 — Trevor Alvord |
| 2015 — Brad Cole | |
| 2016 — Julia Stringfellow | |
| 2017 — Sarah Singh | |
| 2018 — Todd Welch | |
| 2019 — Alan Barnett |
Mentor Award
In connection with the CIMA Mentoring Program, the Mentor Award celebrates those CIMA members who strive to help cultivate career development in the archival community and who have worked with students or new professionals to build professional knowledge and expertise within the next generation. Nominees must have advocated for students and/or new professionals; provided guidance in professional development and self-assessment; and helped students and/or new professionals build a professional network through collaborations and introductions. Nominees must also have demonstrated sustained commitment to creating a productive working environment that enhances the archive work experience.
Required for nomination: Nomination letter (500 words or fewer)
Optional: Up to two (2) supporting letters of recommendation (each 500 words or fewer)
Past Recipients:
| 2019 — Roger Meyers | 2025 — Allison McCormack |
| 2020 — Gina Strack | |
| 2021 — Laura Palmer-Blandford | |
| 2022 — Sarah Jones | |
| 2023 — Jim Kichas | |
| 2024 — Lisa Duncan |
Innovator Award
The Innovator Award recognizes an archivist, group of archivists, repository, or organization in the Intermountain region that has demonstrated creativity or innovation in their work, resulting in an improved work process, program, event, or product. Nominees must have applied creativity or innovation in approaching professional challenges; demonstrated thinking outside of professional or institutional norms; and translated creativity, innovation, and new thinking into working solutions.
Required for nomination: Nomination letter (500 words or fewer)
Optional: Photographs, brochure, website, or other documentation
Past Recipient:
| 2019 — Elizabeth Woolcott | |
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Archival Projects Award
This award recognizes an archivist, group of archivists, repository, or organization that worked on an archival project that has significantly benefited or impacted its community, the archival profession, or the intermountain region. The work must have taken place within three years of the nomination and does not need to be completed but must have advanced sufficiently to demonstrate results.
Required for nomination: Nomination letter (500 words or fewer)
Optional: Final product or other documentation of the project such as photographs, a brochure, or a website
Past Recipients:
| 2019 — Ilana Short and Kelli Luchs |
| 2023 — Colorado River Compact Project, Utah Division of Archives and Record Service |
| 2024 — Amador Family Correspondence Digitization Project, New Mexico State University |
| 2025 — Utah State University Outdoor Recreation Archive |