The Stafford Award, or on its full title, the general Thomas P. Stafford Aerospace Award, was one of the main awards presented at the Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo to the individuals who had made a significant impact on Oklahoma aerospace. The personality whose name has been given to the award was one of the pioneers in space exploration, a well known and recognized military and astronaut pilot. He has remained in the history as an inspiration for those who aspire to greatness in aerospace and his courage, professionalism and pioneering spirit is meant to have been caught into the spirit of the award. The award was traditionally presented during the opening ceremony of the Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo on June 23.

Individuals could nominate a person whom they thought he or she would deserve the award by registering them until the 16th of May. The nominations had to include 1 to 3 pages and they had to be emailed to the contact offered on the website. The nomination format had to contain the significant accomplishment of the nominee in any of the areas that are qualifying for the award meaning everything that can bring a contribution to the development of the aerospace industry. It also had to describe the person’s impact on the growth of the industry and how his or her accomplishments reflect the pioneering spirit of the award and of the general P. Stafford. Lastly, one should include a short bio of the nominee and the rest would have been taken care of by the organization of the expo and summit. The award would have been granted to the exhibitor that had made a significant contribution to the world of aerospace and its industry. The qualifying aerospace industry areas included military, commercial, business MRO, aerospace manufacturing and Commercial Space Development.