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Check Out This Year’s America In Bloom National Award Winners

Brian D. Sparks Posted by Brian Sparks|October 20, 2023

Top honors for the 2023 America in Bloom (AIB) National Awards Program were announced at AIB’s annual symposium and awards celebration held in Spartanburg, SC, in late September.

All participating communities were evaluated on seven criteria: community vitality, floral impact, landscaped areas, urban forestry, environmental initiatives, heritage celebration, and overall impression. America in Bloom is the only national awards program that sends specially trained advisors to personally visit participants. In addition, each community receives a detailed written evaluation that can be used as a guide to future improvements.

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The following awards were announced: population category winners, outstanding achievement awards, special awards, community champion, and YouTube video award.

Population category winners are:

Castle Rock, WA (population under 3,500)

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Lakeside, OH (3,000-6,000)

Hawthorn Woods, IL (6,000-10,000)

Washington, MO (10,000-15,000)

Portsmouth, OH (15,000-20,000)

Tavares, FL (20,000-25,000)

Mundelein, IL (25,000-33,000)

Buffalo Grove, IL (33,000-65,000)

Cicero, IL  (Over 65,000)

Outstanding Achievement Award winners are:

  • Madison, MS (Community Vitality)
  • Lewisburg, WV (Floral Impact)
  • Groveland, FL (Landscaped Areas)
  • Washington, MO (Urban Forestry)
  • Edmonston, MD (Environmental Initiatives)
  • Slippery Rock, PA (Overall Impression)
  • Orion Township, MI (Celebrating Heritage)
  • Howard, WI (Community Involvement)

Special Award winners are:

  • Orion Township, MI: Coolest Place for Kids
  • Coshocton, OH: Eye-Popping Pots – Best Use of Containers in the Landscape
  • Castle Rock, WA: Catching Community Spirit – Digital & Social Media Communications
  • Carthage, MO: Innovation in Action – Most Impressive New Project or Program
  • Logan, OH: Best Volunteer Recognition Program
  • Mundelein, IL: Better Together – Best Example of Public/Private Partnership
  • Howard, WI: Best Youth Gardening Program
  • Brewton, AL: Best Community Garden Program
  • Tavares, FL: Coolest Downtown
  • Portsmouth, OH: Best Mural Program
  • Logan, OH: What’s Old is New Again – Best Adaptive Reuse Project
  • Worcester, MA: Alive with Flowers – Sunbeam Social Media Award
  • Castle Rock, WA: Youth Involvement Award
  • Dwight Lund Community Champion Award: Tim France, Coshocton, Ohio
  • YouTube video award: Orion Township, MI
  • YouTube People’s Choice Award: Orion Township, MI

To date, more than 330 communities from 43 states have participated in the program and more than 22 million people have been touched by it. Registrations for the 2024 program can be submitted until Feb. 28, 2024. Eligible participants include towns, cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations, and recognized neighborhoods of large cities.

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Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.