The APGA Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for 2008. APGA would like to thank each and every one of the outstanding professionals for another year of dedication to public gardens. Every year APGA honors those who have made an exceptional contribution to the profession, and who have been nominated by their peers, at the Annual Conference Award Ceremony. All nominations are due by March 15, 2008. For additional nomination information, applications and a complete list of previous award recipients, visit the Awards section of the website.
The Best in Starring Roles to Lifetime Achievement - Nominate a colleague, a co-worker or yourself!
Honorary Life Member
APGA confers its most prestigious award, the Honorary Life Member Award, upon an individual who has provided meritorious service to the Association over a long period of time and has displayed an uncommon devotion to the field of public horticulture. The award is designed to honor an individual who has for many years supported the Association through active committee work, energetic membership, and leadership positions and whose efforts have led to the advancement of the Association. Besides working tirelessly for the Association, this individual is expected to have held leadership positions that further the missions of public gardens. This award is generally given to an individual nearing or in retirement.
Award of Merit
The Award of Merit recognizes an individual APGA member who has performed with distinction in public horticulture and has excelled as a public garden professional at one or more institutions. The recipient's accomplishments will encompass some combination of botany, horticulture, conservation, gardening, research, extension, education, development, or administration. The intent is that this award be given to an individual during the latter part of an illustrious career, preferably before retirement.
Professional Citation
The Professional Citation recognizes the significant achievements in public horticulture of an individual member who has excelled in one of the disciplines generally associated with public gardens such as botany, horticulture, gardening, conservation, research, education, extension, development, or administration. Recipients need not be at the end of a long, illustrious career; instead, it is recommended that they generally have 20 years or less experience and have shown great skill, innovation, and potential in short, but productive, careers.
APGA Service Award
Created in 2004, this award is reserved for an individual who has shown selfless service to the organization through work as a Professional Committee member, Service Committee member, and/or Board member. It is not the intent that this award be given solely to Board members (all Board members must wait four years after the expiration of their terms before being nominated) but to all who participate actively in the Association's business through their volunteer efforts. The Association's strength is based on its volunteers, and the Association wishes to recognize their contributions.
The Best Picture Awards - the real "star" of the show - The Garden. Each year APGA celebrates America's Public Gardens at the Annual Conference and recognizes excellence in programs, horticultural practices and botanical journalism/marketing. It is hard to pick from such a worthy list of institutional candidates - but once you do, nominating is easy!
Award for Program Excellence
This award is reserved for an APGA institutional member who has displayed a truly innovative spirit in the development of new programs and has pioneered in one or more of the disciplines appropriate to public horticultural institutions, including education, conservation, development, botany, gardening, horticulture, research, extension, or administration. The committee will take into consideration a garden's budget when determining the award recipient.
Horticulture Magazine Award for Garden Excellence
Horticulture magazine's mission is to inspire and inform gardeners with the best information on plants, design, and gardening practices. With this award, inaugurated to mark its 100th year of publication, we salute the institutions that share these goals. This award recognizes the work of the hands-on gardeners at member public gardens whose commitment to excellence and use of best gardening practices are a year-round inspiration to the visiting public. Criteria for the award include the design and maintenance of horticulturally outstanding plant displays; the use of gardening practices appropriate to local and regional environmental concerns; and excellence in care, maintenance, and presentation of plant collections. The award is open to member gardens of all sizes and budgets. Applicants should submit a minimum of 10 and maximum of 30 digital images to illustrate their displays, gardening practices and, where available, collections. Supporting documentation should include information on the number of gardeners and volunteers working on these displays; a sample of associated signage or materials designed to encourage visitors to use environmentally aware gardening practices; and information, if any, on how the displays are used in other gardening educational programs.
Dorothy E. Hansell Publication Award
This award is a tribute to a woman who stood for excellence in horticultural and botanical journalism. The category for 2008 is Websites. For complete details visit the Awards page of the website.
Identifying the best new artists - our rising stars of tomorrow! Every year we search the country for the promising students who demonstrate a commitment to public horticulture.
Student Travel Award
To help students attend its conferences, APGA offers the Student Travel Awards. For complete details visit the Awards page of the website.
