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America in Bloom announced the winners of its 2026 national program awards at a symposium and awards celebration held near Washington, D.C., from Sept. 24 to 26. Communities received recognition in population categories, eight achievement areas and a range of special awards. Registration for the 2027 program remains open through Feb. 28, 2027.
America in Bloom announced its 2026 national award winners during its annual symposium and awards celebration in the Washington, D.C., area, Sept. 24–26. The results recognize participating communities across population categories, eight achievement areas and special awards, highlighting local efforts involving public spaces, environmental initiatives, heritage and community participation.
The program’s population category winners range from Shawnee Hills, Ohio, in the category for communities under 1,350 people, to College Park, Maryland, among communities over 33,000. Other population winners include Castle Rock, Washington; Lakeside and Lewes, Ohio and Delaware; Lewisburg and Logan, West Virginia and Ohio; Hawthorn Woods, Illinois; Washington, Missouri; and Foley, Alabama. The supplied results list Lewes in the 3,330–3,800 category, while the preceding category is given as 2,500–3,300.
Eight communities received outstanding achievement awards tied to specific evaluation criteria. They were Orion Township, Michigan, for Community Vitality; Whitehouse, Ohio, for Floral Impact; Lewes for Landscaped Area; Edmonston, Maryland, for Urban Forestry; Tavares, Florida, for Environmental Initiatives; Holly, Michigan, for Celebrating Heritage; Eustis, Florida, for Overall Impression; and Bay View, Michigan, for Community Involvement.
The special award list spans projects and initiatives in 23 categories. Among the recognitions, Castle Rock received awards for its hanging basket program and the Sunfinity Sunflower Award; Edmonston was recognized for its use of native plants; and Washington received the award for use of containers in the landscape. Other awards covered downtowns, clean-up programs, youth involvement, therapeutic gardening, rural impact and community design promoting healthy living.
Individual and media awards went to Warren Golde of Lewes, recipient of the Dwight Lund Community Champion Award; Traci Anderson of Tavares, the Cheerleader Award recipient; and Logan, Ohio, winner of the YouTube Video Award. The source announcement provides the names and award titles but does not include statements from the recipients or explain how individual award decisions were made.
How Local Projects Earned Recognition
The results offer participating communities public recognition for work spanning landscaping, urban forestry and environmental initiatives, as well as heritage and community involvement. The award categories show that the program considers a broad set of local efforts, from flower displays and downtown improvements to clean-up projects, native plants and youth participation.
For residents, the awards identify specific projects and communities that may offer examples of approaches to public spaces and community programs. The announcement does not measure the effects of the recognized projects or compare them with communities outside the program. Its immediate value is recognition and a record of which participating communities received awards in 2026.
America in Bloom says each participant receives a detailed written evaluation that can guide future improvements. That feedback may give communities a basis for planning after the awards, while the public results make their work visible to residents and other participants. The source does not provide individual evaluations, project budgets or evidence about longer-term outcomes.
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Eight Criteria Shape the Program
America in Bloom evaluates participating communities on eight criteria: community vitality, floral impact, landscaped areas, urban forestry, environmental initiatives, heritage celebration, overall impression and community involvement. The awards announcement says specially trained advisors personally visit participants and that each community receives a written evaluation. It does not detail the scoring system, the number of advisors assigned or how the criteria are weighted.
The organization describes itself as an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) focused on nationwide beautification programs and personal and community involvement through flowers, plants, trees and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements. Its program combines educational resources with a friendly competition among participants. According to the announcement, more than 440 communities in 44 states have taken part to date, and the program has touched more than 24 million people; it does not specify the method or time period used for the latter figure.
Eligible participants include towns and cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations and recognized neighborhoods within large cities. These categories give the program a scope beyond municipal governments, though the 2026 announcement does not say how many entrants participated or list all evaluated communities.
Scoring and Participation Details
The announcement names winners but leaves several details unreported. It does not state the total number of 2026 participants, provide score totals or explain how judges distinguished among entries. No direct comments from organizers, advisors or winners appear in the supplied source material, so their views on the results and the work behind individual projects are not available here.
Some award titles are listed without descriptions of the winning projects. The announcement also gives no detailed breakdown of how the claim that the program has touched more than 24 million people was calculated. The winners and award categories are confirmed by the source; the scale, methods and longer-term impact of the work remain unspecified.
2027 Registration Closes in February
America in Bloom says registration for its 2027 national program is open until Feb. 28, 2027. Towns, cities, campuses, business districts, military installations and recognized neighborhoods in large cities are listed as eligible participants. The announcement does not give dates for the next symposium or explain when 2027 participants will be evaluated and their awards announced.
Communities considering participation can use the published categories to see the kinds of work recognized in 2026. The organization says its process includes in-person advisor visits and written evaluations, but applicants will need to consult America in Bloom for registration instructions and further program details. The next announced milestone is the February registration deadline.
Key Questions
Where and when were the 2026 winners announced?
The awards were announced at America in Bloom’s annual symposium and awards celebration in the Washington, D.C., area, Sept. 24–26, 2026.
Which communities won the population categories?
The winners were Shawnee Hills, Ohio; Castle Rock, Washington; Lakeside, Ohio; Lewes, Delaware; Lewisburg, West Virginia; Logan, Ohio; Hawthorn Woods, Illinois; Washington, Missouri; Foley, Alabama; and College Park, Maryland. Each was recognized in a population category, from under 1,350 to over 33,000.
What does America in Bloom evaluate?
The program evaluates eight criteria: community vitality, floral impact, landscaped areas, urban forestry, environmental initiatives, heritage celebration, overall impression and community involvement.
Who can register for the 2027 program, and when is the deadline?
Eligible participants include towns, cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations and recognized neighborhoods of large cities. The stated registration deadline is Feb. 28, 2027.
Does the announcement explain how winners were scored?
No. It lists the evaluation criteria and says specially trained advisors visit participants, but it does not provide scores, criterion weights or a detailed account of how award decisions were reached.
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