The award winners are...

It was a competitive period of nominations and voting over the past month that had some of the travel industry's best up for special recognition in the annual PAXnews.com Awards of Excellence contest.

Without further ado, we're thrilled to announce the winners:

Travel agent of the year:

Hartley Chetner - Avenue Travel Limited

"I have been working with Hartley for over five years. He's patient, kind and very professional at what he does. He makes sure that he handles things right from the beginning and sees his work through until the very end."

Reservations agent of the year:

Ravi Rajaraman - Huntington Travel

"Ravi is my exclusive agent for my corporate clients. He is knowledgeable, knows when to provide other options and is organized. He is quick to respond to any requested itinerary. I appreciate all of his help over the last few years! Ravi has been very helpful in all departments for us and has excellent knowledge of the industry and a amazing person."

Representative of the year:

Janet Martin - Hard Rock Resorts All Inclusive

"Janet works so hard for everyone else. I don't know of any rep who puts more into their role than her. Thank you for all you do Janet!"

Rookie of the year:

Pebbles Cuevas Ulloa - Centre Holidays

"Pebbles is a dynamic individual and quickly evolving into a knowledgeable travel agent with high client service skills. She is an asset to the agency and is there to help fellow agents whenever needed."

Personality of the Year

Nicole Bursey – Transat

"Nicole always has a smile on her face with a real can do attitude."

Thanks to all who participated, and a big congratulations to all the winners.

Stay tuned to a special feature profiling these individuals in the next issue of PAX magazine.