The following is a news alert from the National Association of Realtors®

The National Association of Realtors® is now accepting applications for the 11th annualREALTOR® Magazine Good Neighbor Awards. The awards recognize Realtors® for their commitment to volunteer service.

The five winners will be announced in November in REALTOR® Magazine. Each winner will be recognized at the 2010 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in New Orleans and receive travel expenses to the conference, national media exposure for his or her community cause, and a $10,000 grant for the charity. In addition to the winners, five honorable mentions will each receive a $2,500 grant.

'We all know that Realtors® build communities,' said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz. 'The Good Neighbor Awards gives us the opportunity to honor the very best of our Realtor® volunteers who make an incredible commitment of their time and energy to help those in need.'

Last year's winners contributed a combined total of nearly 8,000 hours to their causes and drew a standing ovation from more than 7,000 Realtors® and guests during the annual conference's general session in San Diego. The 2009 winners were Greg Adamson, Prudential Utah Real Estate, American Fork, Utah, Heart 2 Home Foundation; Cindy Johnson, Dona Christensen Realty, Woodbury, Minn., The Arc of Minnesota; Helen Marotto, EXIT Homeplace Realty, Hampstead, N.C., Cape Fear Guardian Ad Litem Assn.; Regina Ragon, Prudential Realty Center, Flintstone, Ga., Latin American Community Development; and Samuel Thomas Jr., Imani Realty & Assocs., Willingboro, N.J., QUEST Community Outreach.

'REALTOR® Magazine's Good Neighbor Awards recognize the important role Realtors® play as volunteers in their communities,' said REALTOR® Magazine Editorial Director Pamela Geurds Kabati. 'We hope highlighting their stories inspires more Realtors® to give their time to important community organizations.'

Previous Good Neighbor Award winners say their charities have benefited from the grant money and the increased public exposure. 'The Good Neighbor Awards has increased the exposure of The Sport of Giving from our local community to a national audience,' said 2008 Good Neighbor Award Winner Sheila Stevens, Prudential Georgia Realty, Suwanee, Ga., founder of The Sport of Giving. 'The inquiries that are flowing in to host events in other parts of the country have allowed us to launch new events and help more people. Our mission has become a reality thanks to the Good Neighbor Awards.'

REALTOR® Magazine's Good Neighbor Awards is sponsored by Lowe's. In addition to the grant money, each winner will receive a $2,000 Lowe's gift card and each honorable mention will receive a $1,000 Lowe's gift card.

Good Neighbor Awards entries must be received by Friday, May 21, 2010. For more details and a nomination form, call 800/874-6500, visit www.REALTOR.org/gna, or see the March issue of REALTOR® Magazine.

Lowe's (www.lowes.com) has worked with customers to maintain and improve their homes since 1946. Lowe's is proud to support the Good Neighbor Awards. Lowe's is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity International, American Red Cross, SkillsUSA/SkillsCanada, and The Nature Conservancy, in addition to numerous nonprofit organizations and programs that help communities in North America. In 2009, Lowe's and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $30 million to support community and education projects in North America. Lowe's also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe's Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative. Lowe's, a Realtor® Benefits Partner, brings Realtors® exclusive benefits to help build relationships with their customers, generate referrals and expand their client base. The benefits program is featured on www.LowesRealtorBenefits.com.

The National Association of Realtors®, 'The Voice for Real Estate,' is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.