2026 Ben Black Elk Award nomination form

2026
Ben Black Elk
Award Nomination Form

The BEN BLACK ELK AWARD recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to South Dakota's tourism industry. The award commemorates Ben Black Elk, a man remembered for his dedicated service to greeting visitors at Mount Rushmore National Memorial for more than 27 years. The award was first presented in 1980.

The 2026 award will be presented on Thursday, January 22, at the 2026 South Dakota Governor's Conference on Tourism in Pierre.

Nominations are due no later than Tuesday, November 18, 2025.

1. Nominee contact information: *This question is required.

First Name
Last Name
Full Address
Business Name

2. Nominee qualifications: *This question is required. Please include specific details about what qualifies your nominee for the Black Elk Award.

If you prefer uploading a Word doc or other supporting documentation, please do so here. Up to three files are accepted. Max file size for each is 2 MB. File types allowed are png, gif, jpg, jpeg, doc, xls, docx, xlsx, pdf, txt, mov, mp3, mp4.

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3. Nominator contact information: *This question is required.

First Name
Last Name
Business Name
Business Address
Phone
Email

4. Nominator conference attendance: *This question is required.Do you, the nominator, plan to attend the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Pierre in January?