Planters, America’s leading snack nut brand, and the National Peanut Board recently commissioned a new custom trophy design from Bennett Awards. These unique, custom trophies were created for the inaugural Naturally Remarkable Planters Awards. These recognition awards celebrate American peanut farmers who are implementing sustainable practices and making positive social changes in their local communities.

The Naturally Remarkable Planters Awards is a peanut industry collaboration between Planters, the National Peanut Board and peanut shellers. A panel of judges from the peanut industry, including agriculture academics and representatives from the National Peanut Board and USDA, will select three regional achievement award winners, representing the Southeast, Virginia-Carolinas and Southwest.

Each of the three winners receives a three-day trip to New York City for themselves and up to three family members to attend a recognition award ceremony, where they are presented with custom trophies created by Bennett Awards. They also receive a donation of $10,000 in their name towards a project to revitalize community land in the location of their choice.

These achievement awards are an integral component of the Planters "Naturally Remarkable" tour, which kicked off in February 2011 and encourages Americans to grow stronger communities through service and conservation. Along with the awards program, Planters will also transform unused land into Planters Groves — fun, peanut-shaped, recreational spaces designed by renowned landscape architect Ken Smith. Part urban revitalization, part art, these public spaces will be entirely built by and for local communities led by The Corps Network's national network of 30,000 young men and women engaged in service and conservation work. Four Planters Groves are planned for New Orleans, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and New York City, the last of which will include an Award ceremony for the three winners of the Naturally Remarkable Planters Awards.

For these awards, Bennett Awards created a new custom award design in the shape of the iconic “Mr. Peanut”. The Mr. Peanut sculpture award is mounted on a two-tier handmade hardwood base. The upper base tier is raised by peanut branch sculptures, and a peanut sculpture is mounted in the center of the lower base. All of these sculptural elements were cast in pewter, and feature a gold plated finish. The lower base also features engraved plates of the recipient name, award name, and year of presentation.

This year (2012), the inaugural winners of these achievement awards were Billy Bain, of Dinwiddie, Virginia; Otis Lee Johnson, of Seminole, Texas; and Barry Martin, of Hawkinsville, Georgia. They received their custom trophies at an awards ceremony held September 20, 2011, in New York City. More information on the Naturally Remarkable Planters Awards can be found via the following link: "Naturally Remarkable Planters Awards".