Excellence Award for Education or Advocacy

For an individual, program, or project that uses information and advocates education about the value of planning to create greater awareness among citizens or the public and inspire interest and participation in planning


Open to APA and non-APA members


Originality and innovation

Document how your entry presents a visionary approach or innovative concept to address needs. Explain how it broadens accepted planning principles within the context of the situation.


Illustrate how your entry has potential application for others and how widespread application would be in the interest of the planning profession and would further the cause of good planning.


Indicate how your entry represents excellence of thought, analysis, writing, graphics, and overall presentation, mindful of the targeted audience and regardless of budgetary limitations. Indicate how available resources were used in a thoughtful, well-conceived, and ethical process.


Specify how your entry observed planning principles, especially in consideration of its effects on public objectives.

Effectiveness and Results

State how your entry addressed the need or problem that prompted its initiation; be explicit about how the results have made a difference in the lives of the people affected. Describe the extent that your entry has been effective in formulating and implementing plans and ideas in support of good planning. Identify the level of influence and effectiveness achieved by the nominee within different segments of the community; provide measurable results if possible or appropriate (for example, pre- or post-outreach effort poll results).

Education and Public Participation

Establish how your entry has engaged persons in planning and influenced public awareness and understanding of planning beyond those persons immediately affected. Describe how your entry encouraged community leaders to revise their opinions about the varied uses and broad applications of planning. Show how your entry has increased the understanding of planning principles, the planning process, and the role of planners. Explain how the results have been measured and internalized.

Examples: Engaged citizens, citizen activists, or neighborhood leaders demonstrating outstanding leadership in a community, region, or state; members of planning commissions or advisory boards; boards of appeal, economic development boards, environmental or historic preservation boards, or other appointed officials; elected officials holding office at the local, regional, or state level; broad community efforts showing how planning can make a difference, curricula designed to teach children about planning, neighborhood empowerment programs, use of technology to expand public participation in planning.