ABOUT

NMAR Awards

Every year, NMAR recognizes the members who go above and beyond, in production, in professionalism, and in service to their community. These awards celebrate what makes our members exceptional, and they're decided by the peers who know that work best.

This Year's Awards: REALTOR® Night Out

October 1, 2026 at the Hilton Garden Inn. NMAR's newest tradition brings the awards presentation to a semi-formal evening with dinner, a comedian, and dancing.

Get Tickets →

2026 honorees

Congratulations to this Year's Winners

These two get mixed up constantly, and they go to two completely different places.

REALTOR® of the Year

Jesse Plevel

Good neighbor award

Bruce Young

The Awards

Four Ways NMAR Recognizes Its Own

REALTOR® of the Year

The Association's highest honor. Awarded to a member who demonstrates outstanding REALTOR® spirit, civic involvement, local and state association activity, and business accomplishment.

Jean Carter Spirit Award

Named for longtime NMAR leader Jean Carter, this award honors a REALTOR® who truly embodies the REALTOR® spirit and the Golden Rule. Not awarded every year, it's one of NMAR's highest honors.

Rookie of the Year

Recognizes a REALTOR® in their first 12 months of membership who combines strong production with REALTOR® spirit and community involvement.

Good Neighbor Award

Recognizes a REALTOR® who has made an extraordinary impact on their community through volunteer work. The winner's chosen charity receives a $1,000 grant from the Charitable Foundation.

Visit the Good Neighbor Award Page →

How Winners Are Chosen

Award Criteria

REALTOR® of the Year Criteria

5% - REALTOR® Spirit: integrity, adherence to the Code of Ethics, furtherance of good real estate practice.

20% - Civic Activities: participation in civic and service clubs, charitable activities, political commissions, or fraternal/religious groups.

20% - Local Activities: local offices held, committee work, special assignments, and educational involvement.

20% - Business Accomplishments: public recognition of conduct, service, and creative business practice.

20%/5% - State Association Activity (20%) and National Association Activity (5%): offices held, committee work, and participation.

Criteria is subject to change year to year.

Rookie of the Year Criteria

Eligibility - Licensed within the qualifying window and an NMAR REALTOR® for at least 12 months. Cannot have been actively licensed anywhere for more than 23 months prior to application.

30% - REALTOR® Spirit and involvement: faithfulness to Code of Ethics and Association involvement.

30% - Community Involvement & Civic Activities: participation in civic, charitable, or fraternal groups.

40% - Production: sales statistics pulled by NMAR staff over the applicant's first 12 months of membership (20% production, 20% units sold).

Criteria is subject to change year to year.

About Jean Carter

Jean Carter began her real estate career in Whitefish in the late 1980s and quickly became a top producer, then Broker, known for her hard work, professionalism, and ethical standards. She mentored countless REALTORS®, served on the NMAR Board of Directors, and volunteered for years on the Professional Standards Committee, where her peers voted her head of the group. Jean was a pillar of the Whitefish community and lived by the Golden Rule in everything she did. The award created in her name in 2014 honors REALTORS® who carry that same spirit forward.

The Archive

Past Winners

REALTOR® of the Year, 1979 to Present

2025 Jesse Plevel
2024 Brenda Miller
2023 Doryce Hawkins
2022 Jeanie Deetz
2021 Robin Wallace
2020 Kayla Warburton
2019 Bill Leininger
2018 Jackie Smart
2017 Wendy Brown
2016 Rob Keller
2015 Brian Nicodemus
2014 Katie Brown
2013 Bill Leininger
2012 Brian Nicodemus
2011 Doug Zignego
2010 Tom Marino
2009 John Osweiler
2008 Cal Scott
2007 Ted Dykstra Jr
2006 Rick Doran
2005 Cindy Willis
2004 Joyce Mitchell
2003 Gregg School
2002 Susan Smith
2001 Bruce Young
2000 Karen Harr
1999 Ted Schlegel
1998 Sharon Wilson
1997 PC Musgrove
1996 Ted Schlegel
1995 PC Musgrove
1994 Randy Saunier
1993 Cindy Lanier
1992 PC Musgrove
1991 Sharon Wilson
1990 Jane Powell
1989 Sharon Wilson
1988 Phyllis Sprunger
1987 Chuck Olson
1986 Lyle Bartlett
1985 Phyllis Sprunger
1984 Sharon Read
1983 Sandy Baden
1982 Phyllis Sprunger
1981 Chuck Olson
1980 Robert Walter
1979 Larry O'Lee

Rookie of the Year, 1991 to Present

Jean Carter Spirit Award, 2014 to Present

Know a REALTOR® who deserves recognition? Nominations for next year's awards open in the spring. Reach out to NMAR staff to learn how to submit a nomination.

Contact NMAR Staff