The 2022 GreenThumb Garden Recognition Honorees with NYC Parks staff. Photo by Daniel Avila, NYC Parks

7th Annual GreenThumb Garden Recognition Awards

GreenThumb will celebrate the 7th Annual GreenThumb Garden Recognition Awards this winter. Help us honor and celebrate community gardeners who are beautifying their neighborhoods, growing healthy food, protecting the environment, and healing their communities. 

Award Categories

You can nominate GreenThumb gardens and gardeners (including your own and yourself!) for one of the awards by completing the Nomination Form by Sunday, November 12, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Only three total nominations may be submitted.
In an effort to give everyone the opportunity to win, past years' honorees will not be eligible.

1. Lifetime Achievement Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden group that has contributed significantly to furthering GreenThumb's mission and has been affiliated with GreenThumb for at least 25 years (since 1998).  

2. Lifetime Achievement Award (Individual): This award recognizes an individual gardener who has contributed significantly to furthering GreenThumb's mission and has been involved in community gardening in New York for at least 25 years (since 1998).

3. Rookie of the Year Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden group that was established or reactivated in the past two to three years and has made an immediate and significant impact in their community. 

4. Youth Award (Individual or Group): This award recognizes a community garden group or individual that has made a significant commitment to cultivating the next generation of community gardeners. Nominations are encouraged from youth under the age of 24 years old that demonstrated significant dedication to community gardening. 

5. Public Art Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden group that has enhanced its neighborhood through artistic or cultural installations and activities in the garden for the benefit of the public such as music performances, plays, sculpture, art events, and so much more. 

6. Sustainability Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden group leading environmental stewardship efforts in the care of their garden and the environment. Examples include: public food scrap drop-off and composting projects, planting pollinator-friendly and native plants, providing educational environmental resources, and so much more.

7. Community Engagement Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden group that has gone above and beyond to foster a deeper sense of community and engaging New Yorkers of all walks of life through collaborative partnerships, free public programs and events for all ages, and other creative uses of the community garden. 

8. Landscape Design Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden group that has made a significant contribution through an outstanding project or landscape design, including a special horticultural feature, space redesign, or creative use of native plants.

9. Urban Agriculture Award (Group): This award recognizes a community garden that is growing and/or distributing food in or around their community to encourage healthy eating and support those in need. 

10. Going the Extra Mile Award (Individual or Group): This award recognizes individual garden members and garden groups across the city who implemented innovative ways to go above and beyond with their commitment to carry out impactful community-driven efforts throughout 2023.