Oct 1, 2015
AIB Award Winners Announced

Top honors for the 2015 America in Bloom national awards program were announced at the annual awards held in Holland, Michigan on Sept. 26, 2015.

Top honors for the prestigious 2015 America in Bloom (AIB) national awards program were announced at the annual awards held 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. They went to the following towns:

  • 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 as follows:

  • 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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