Each year, the Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (GCAA) celebrate ten Texas communities for their outstanding efforts to keep their communities beautiful. From the Texas coast to the Panhandle, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded cities with this honor since 1986. Winners are selected for their ability to engage citizens, local businesses, schools, and other organizations in environmental improvement initiatives. Categorized by population, these ten cities share an award of $2 million in landscaping projects. Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) and TxDOT have worked together to administer the GCAA for more than 30 years. The GCAA 2020 application is officially open. Review the application and apply at ktb.org/gcaa.

Applications are due on Thursday, March 4 at 5 p.m. CST. In the months leading up to the deadline, we will be sharing last year’s ten winners, who were recognized at the KTB Virtual Conference in 2020. Interested in applying for GCAA? Join us on Thursday, January 21 to hear from our past winners. Register to attend here. 

Category 1: South Padre Island

Population Up to 3,000

Landscape Award: $90,000

The City of South Padre Island (SPI) is full of maritime and Texas history. Though the island is small, it can attract up to 100,000 tourists a day.

Fortunately, the SPI community is united in its efforts to keep their island beautiful. During the “Treasure It, Don’t Trash It” Anti-Litter Program, 33,568 beachgoers were educated on the importance of litter prevention in 2019.

SPI is also unique because of its location near the border and its many Spanish-speaking residents. Last year, the city reached over 1,000 Spanish-speaking volunteers resulting in over 10,000 pounds of trash removed from Texas beaches. Their litter battle is being won every day by the dedication of SPI residents and support from the city.

Learn more at ktb.org/gcaa. Questions? Email awards@ktb.org. 

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