The Young Cayman Leadership Awards show will take place Saturday, 12 May at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. The five finalists are Garth Arch, Dara Flowers Burke, Casandra Morris, Orchid Morrison and Samantha Widmer. 

The annual awards show is televised live on Cayman 27 during a 60-minute broadcast. The finalists were selected from nominations from the community in late 2011.  

“The YCLA selection committee was presented with an almost insurmountable task; a task to identify five finalists out of so many suitable candidates who embody the mantra of the Young Caymanian Leadership Award. The five finalists are certainly all upstanding young leaders in our community,” said Jonathan Tibbetts, chairman of the Nomination Sub Committee. 

Mr. Tibbetts, the 2006 award recipient, said, “The decision process was approached with great care and attention to detail. The members, who are all YCLA Alumni and previous recipients of the award, spent much time reviewing, confirming and questioning the submissions. The five finalists were selected for their dedication to growing our islands and young people; their discipline in their careers and volunteerism; and their desire to change the Islands for generations to come.”  

Next, the Honorary Board of Directors judges the five finalists by secret ballots based on video interviews and details of their individual achievements. Honorary Board members with close ties to any of the five finalists withdraw themselves from this final process. 

Previous recipients of the award are Olivaire Watler in 2000, Dax Foster in 2001, Sara Collins in 2002, Steve Blair in 2003, Cindy Scotland in 2004, Mr. Tibbetts in 2006, Canover Watson in 2007, Stephen Ryan in 2008, Elroy Bryan in 2009, Collin Anglin in 2010 and Natalie Urquhart in 2011. 

The five finalists will be honoured during the 12 May event and this year’s recipient will be announced during the awards ceremony portion of the evening. 

Tickets for the event are limited. Email ycla@candw.ky or call 916-8335.