Ardie Davis - Celebrity/Humanitarian Category
Ardie, aka Remus Powers, Ph.B., is founder of the American Royal Barbecue Sauce Contest which is in its 29th year and the largest sauce contest in the world. He is a charter member of the KCBS, instrumental in the development of the Certified Barbecue Judge curriculum, and author of the oath that each judge still recites before judging a contest. All in the name of BBQ, Ardie is the author of numerous books, writes freelance for the Kansas City Star & the BullSheet, and has been interviewed twice by the History Channel due to his knowledge of barbecue. Ardie’s involvement in the BBQ community has earned him 9 separate nominations for this year’s Barbecue Hall of Fame, more than twice as many as any other candidate.

David B. Knight - Business/Industry Category
David Knight is the President and founder of Ole Hickory Pits, a leading manufacturer of commercial barbecue smoker ovens, sold worldwide. With experience earned from his early days in the family restaurant and knowledge gained from pit design, David uses his skills to help restaurateurs and competitors stay on the cutting edge of the industry. Knight is also active in the competitive circuit, both as a judge and with his support of teams. His unique blend of barbecue and business experience provides perspective of the industry, which he shares in trade journal articles and industry seminars.

Chris Lilly - Pitmaster Category
Chris Lilly’s influence spans many facets of BBQ including competition, restaurants, cookbooks, television, product spokesman and retail products. Lilly is a three time Memphis in May: Grand Champion, Grand Champion of the American Royal Invitational, Reserve Grand Champion of the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue and winner of the inaugural King of the Smoker Invitational. In addition, there has been no Pitmaster with more success in the pork category at Memphis in May, bringing home seven wins.

Source: American Royal Association