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Awards

2025 Awards Program

Nominations for 2025 will open in early January. 

The annual NACPRO Awards program recognizes and honors excellence in parks and recreation at the county, regional, and special district level throughout the nation. 

The 2025 presentation of awards was held on June 12 in Oakland County during the Special Park District Forum in the Detroit Metro Region, Michigan.  

For reference, prior to the opening of nominations: 2024 NACPRO Call Award Nominations

Award Categories

Individual Awards

  1. Outstanding Public Official is presented to a nominated, elected, or appointed official, such as commissioners, board members, and state and federal representatives, who are strong advocates for parks and recreation, to the benefit of NACPRO member agencies.

  2. Professional
    • Lifetime: to recognize professionals who are retiring or leaving parks and recreation service.
    • Fellow: to recognize an exemplary professional currently employed in the parks and recreation service.
    • New Professional: to recognize up-and-coming leaders in the parks and recreation profession with less than 7 years’ experience, who possess leadership qualities and talents. 

  3. Friends of Parks and Recreation
    These awards are presented to lay individuals who have made exemplary contributions benefiting parks and recreation programs or facilities at NACPRO member agencies.
    • Outstanding Contributor: presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution of land or fiscal resources to parks and recreation.
    • Outstanding Volunteer: presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution of personal time and talent.
    • Outstanding Support Organization: presented to an organization that has made a significant contribution to benefit park and recreation programs, facilities, operations, or organizational support.

Area and Facility Awards

  • Park and Recreation Areas or Facilities: to recognize excellence in park and recreation areas, recreation facilities, and operational facilities.
  • Trails and Corridors: to recognize excellence in a trail, greenway, waterway, corridor, or other linear park development project.

Program Awards

These awards are presented to recognize a NACPRO member agency that has provided a unique or exceptional program, activity, or event.

Special Awards

  • Conservation: Recognizes an exceptional effort to acquire, restore, and preserve, natural areas or significant conservation areas, as well as programs that create public awareness and appreciation for conservation efforts. 
  • Cultural History: Recognizes excellence in historic and cultural facility development, preservation, programming, interpretation, or events.
  • Innovative Financing: Recognizes creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial strategies to generate financial resources for park-related capital and operating expenses. Some examples may include but are not limited to special taxes, referendums, millages, ballot initiatives, sponsorships, philanthropy, and partnerships.
  • Marketing: Recognizes a marketing effort demonstrating unique, significant, or remarkable outcomes. This award category includes projects involving market research, marketing plans, promotion, advertising, and the use of information technologies.
  • Planning Initiative: Recognizes an outstanding research or planning project that contributes to a body of knowledge and advances the practice of planning.
  • Social Justice: Honors a park system that has served as a change agent and made a tangible impact in the community or workplace by prioritizing a culture of equity and inclusion. This award recognizes outstanding leadership and collaboration in community programs or projects, or workplace initiatives or policies.
  • Universal Accessibility: Recognizes a unique program or facility that enables and encourages greater participation in parks and recreation by persons with disabilities.