The 2023 GreenThumb Garden Recognition Award honorees with NYC Parks GreenThumb staff. Photo by Malcolm Pinckney, NYC Parks

8th Annual GreenThumb Garden Recognition Awards

GreenThumb will celebrate the 8th Annual GreenThumb Garden Recognition Awards in 2025. Help us honor and celebrate community gardeners who are beautifying their neighborhoods, growing healthy food, protecting the environment, and healing their communities at this annual ceremony.

Award Categories

You can nominate GreenThumb community gardens and gardeners (including your own and yourself!) for one of the awards by completing the Nomination Form by Friday, January 10, 2025. To give all groups an opportunity, previous years' winners will not be eligible under the same category.

1. Going the Extra Mile Award (Group or Individual):
   This award recognizes individual community 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-based efforts throughout 2024.
   
   
2. 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 1997).
   
   
3. Lifetime Achievement Award (Individual):
   This award recognizes an individual community 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 1999).
   
   
4. Rookie of the Year Award (Group):
   This award recognizes a community garden group that was established in the past two to three years and has made an immediate and significant impact in their community.
   
   
5. 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 for youth under the age of 24 years old that demonstrated significant dedication to community gardening.
   
   
6. Public Art & Cultural Programming Award (Group) Previously named Public Art Award:
   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. 
   
   
7. Urban Agriculture Award (Group):
   This award recognizes a community garden that is growing and sharing food in or around their community to encourage healthy eating and support those in need. 
   
   
8. Community Engagement Award (Group):
   This award recognizes a community garden group that has gone above and beyond to foster a deeper sense of community through collaborative partnerships, free programs and events for all ages, and other creative uses of the community garden.
   
   
9. Garden & Landscape Design Award (Group) Previously named Landscape Design Award:
   This award recognizes a community garden group that has made a significant contribution through an outstanding project or landscape design that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, including a special horticultural feature, space redesign, or creative use of native plants.
   
   
10. Environmental Innovation Award (Group) Previously named Sustainability Award:
    This award recognizes a community garden group leading environmental stewardship efforts in the care of their garden and/or by the use of innovative ideas that improve and care for the environment.