AIB Announces 2015 Award Winners
America in Bloom (AIB) handed out its annual awards during its 2015 meeting in Holland, Michigan, on Sept. 26, 2015.
All participants were evaluated on six criteria: overall impression, environmental awareness, heritage preservation, urban forestry, landscape, and floral displays. Additionally they were judged on their community involvement across municipal, residential, and commercial sectors. AIB is the only national awards program that sends specially trained judges to personally visit participants and provide a detailed written evaluation that can be used as a guide to future improvements.
AIB judges visited communities of similar populations and spent two days touring each town, meeting municipal officials, residents, and volunteers.
Population category winners:
- Combined Locks, Wisconsin
- Fairhope, Alabama
- Holland, Michigan
- Holliston, Massachusetts
- Lewes, Delaware
- Lewisburg, West Virginia
- Lexington, Kentucky
- Morro Bay, California
- Saratoga, California
- Venice, Florida
Outstanding achievement awards are for one town that excels in each of the evaluated criteria. The recipients include :
- Edmonston, Maryland Environmental Efforts
- Estes Park, Colorado Landscaped Areas
- Fairhope, Alabama Urban Forestry
- Holland, Michigan Floral Displays
- Ottawa, Illinois Community Involvement
- Santa Paula, California Heritage Preservation
- Winter Park, Florida Overall Impression
Special Awards were given to:
- Arroyo Grande, California Public Art that Celebrates Heritage
- Belpre, Ohio Most Attractive “Welcome to our City”
- Castle Rock, Washington – Best Program for Engaging Youth in the Community
- Combined Locks, Wisconsin – Most Attractive Naturalistic Landscape
- Hammond, Louisiana – Most Innovative Environmental Initiative Involving Water Conservation
- Lexington, Kentucky – Most Effective Way Finding Signage
- Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Best Container Display
- Rockford, Illinois Best Residential Streetscape
- Saratoga, California Most Beautiful Canopy of Trees
To date, more than 220 towns and cities from all over the US have participated in the AIB program. Cities, towns, business districts, college campuses, and military installations are all eligible to participate.
Registrations for the 2016 national awards program can be submitted until February 28, 2016.
For more information, visit www.americainbloom.org.
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