facebook-pixel

A complete list of The Salt Lake Tribune’s Utahns of the Year

From 1997 to 2022, here are the Utahns who — for good or ill — best reflected the state and its biggest news stories of that year.

  | Dec. 7, 2023, 1:05 p.m.

Here are the past Utahns of the Year, selected by The Tribune since 1997. Vote for the 2023 Utahn of the Year here.

  • 2022 • Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham.
  • 2021 • The Great Salt Lake.
  • 2020 • Health care workers.
  • 2019 • Utah Jazz owner and philanthropist Gail Miller.
  • 2018 • Former North Ogden Mayor and fallen soldier Brent Taylor.
  • 2017 • Longtime U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch.
  • 2016 • Madi Barney, who brought attention to how Brigham Young University was handling reports of sexual assaults.
  • 2015 • Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes.
  • 2014 • Same-sex marriage plaintiffs.
  • 2013 • Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
  • 2012 • Mormons Building Bridges.
  • 2011 • Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank.
  • 2010 • Elizabeth, Lois and Mary Smart.
  • 2009 • Elizabeth Smart.
  • 2008 • Utah Jazz owner and businessman Larry Miller.
  • 2007 • First responders to tragedies, including the Trolley Square shooting rampage and the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster.
  • 2006 • Latino leaders Jorge Fierro, Andrew Valdez, Ruby Chacon and Alma Armendariz.
  • 2005 • Pamela Atkinson, advocate for the poor and homeless.
  • 2004 • Utahns killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • 2003 • Gov. Olene Walker.
  • 2002 • LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
  • 2001 • Winter Games organizer Mitt Romney.
  • 2000 • Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson.
  • 1999 • The letter that sparked the Olympic bribery scandal.
  • 1998 • Mary Ann Kingston, who suffered a brutal beating after escaping plural marriage.
  • 1997 • NBA MVP Karl Malone.