This year’s theme is the Backyard Legends. Pentair Pool aims to celebrate the multi-faceted pool pros who don’t just work as pool techs, but perform as chemists, plumbers, electricians, and more, to keep pools swim-ready and enjoyable in their communities.

• Once nominations begin on Sept. 2, 2025, pool pros will be nominated and then vetted by various members of the Pentair Pool team to ensure that all nominees are qualified candidates that meet the criteria of the awards. Nominations that are incomplete or insufficient will not be moved on to the voting phase. Pentair has the right to eliminate any nomination that is deemed insufficient.
• For the voting stage, all validated nominees will be posted online. The general public will be able to place votes through an online form from Oct. 23-30, 2025. The nominees with the most votes will move on to the next phase, which will include interviews by the Pentair Pool selection committee.
• The interviews will take place from November to early December. Winners will then be notified shortly thereafter, and publicly announced on Jan. 7, 2026. The winners will then be formally recognized at the 2026 Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show.

A Pentair representative will reach out to selected interviewees to schedule their interviews in the week following voting.

The interview panel will include leaders from Pentair, the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (, PHTA), and AQUA Magazine.

Panelists are looking for professionals who combine deep pool industry experience and knowledge with a genuine passion for helping people enjoy the water. Strong candidates demonstrate a customer- and safety-first approach, a commitment to training and education, leadership and community involvement, and a compelling story of hard work, resilience, success, and industry growth. 

Any pool pro is eligible to be nominated. A pool pro is defined as anyone working in the pool and spa service industry as a service technician. Nominations may be submitted by anyone, including your company, your sales rep, your customers, and yourself.

The Premier Pool Pro Award Winners include one (1) male Pool Pro and one (1) female Pool Pro. This category recognizes outstanding individuals in the pool industry who serve as technicians, builders, or service professionals — those who are hands-on in the field and exemplify excellence, reliability, and dedication in their craft.  

The LifeTime Achievement award honors two (2) distinguished pool industry leaders whose long-standing contributions, leadership, and vision have left a lasting impact on the industry and community. 

Nominees will be judged on if they meet the following criteria:

• Commitment and experience in the pool industry
• Passion for pool and enjoying water
• Knowledge of pool industry and products
• Customer service and safety-first approach
• Training and education experience
• Demonstration of leadership and strong engagement in the industry
• Compelling story of success; demonstrating hard work, tenacity, and propelling growth in the industry

When nominations open on Sept. 2, you will be able to submit a nomination via an online form. The form will ask for basic information including who you’re nominating, the name of the company they work for, why they should be considered for the Pentair Pool Pro Awards, etc. We require a photo of the nominee to be uploaded (650x900 px preferred) as well.

There is no limit to how many people you can nominate. Please submit only one nomination for each nominee. All duplicate nominations will be combined to one profile for the voting stage.

All nominees who match the definition of a pool pro and have complete nominations will move on to the voting stage. A pool pro is defined as anyone working in the pool and spa service industry as a service technician. If a nomination is incomplete or insufficient, then that nominee won’t move on to the voting round.

Voting will occur between Oct. 23 – 30, 2025.

Voting will take place online through a voting form opening on Oct. 23, 2025. Keep an eye out for emails and social media posts reminding you to vote for your favorite pool pro.

Anyone with a valid email address can vote.

During the voting process, you can only vote for one pool servicer. However, you can absolutely spread the word with your customers, families, and friends to vote for you. You can also vote for yourself.

Share the voting form with your network! Encourage customers, family members, and friends to vote for you by sharing the link to vote. One vote per email address is allowed.

Winners will be contacted by a Pentair representative.

Winners will receive: 

• 2026 Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show travel accommodations and special recognition 
• Enrollment for Pentair University, GENESIS® (for Lifetime Achievement, Premier Pool Pro and Wave Maker Award winners), and PHTA training courses (for Unsung Hero and Safety Advocate winners)  
• Exclusive interview with an industry-leading publication, AQUA Magazine 
• Swag packaged valued at up to $3,000 
• (And more to be announced!)