Governor’s Community Achievement Awards
For more than thirty years, Keep Texas Beautiful, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), has awarded the prestigious Governor’s Community Achievement Awards to Texas communities for their outstanding overall efforts to keep their communities beautiful.
The GCAA program has recognized outstanding communities since 1969, with TxDOT providing landscaping award funding since 1985. This year, ten winning communities will share $2 million in landscaping awards from the Texas Department of Transportation, with the amount based on population size. The funds are used for landscaping projects along state rights-of-way.
A community’s environmental program is judged on achievements in seven areas:
- Community Leadership and Coordination
- Public Awareness and Outreach
- Environmental Education and Youth Engagement
- Beautification and Community Improvement
- Litter Prevention and Cleanup
- Solid Waste Management
- Litter Law and Illegal Dumping Enforcement
The 2025 Governor’s Community Achievement Awards applications will be open
Jan 2, 2025 – Feb 13, 2025 at 5 pm CT.
Join our mailing list to be notified when the 2025 Awards open.
WEBINAR
Preparing for the GCAA application
in collaboration with Texas Downtown
Watch Recording
WEBINAR
GCAA Insights: FAQs & Expert Answers
Tips, Insights from a Judge, and What to Expect When You Win a Landscape Award
Watch Recording
ELIGIBILITY & GENERAL INFORMATION
The 2024 Governor’s Community Achievement Awards will open on January 2, 2025.
The award application must be submitted online with all supplemental materials uploaded and application fees received by Thursday, February 13, 2025, at 5 p.m. CST.Â
Late, faxed, or emailed entries will not be accepted. There is an application fee of $25/entry.Â
GENERAL GUIDELINES
- For application questions, the reporting period is from January 1 – December 31, 2024.
- Your application must be submitted by 5 pm CST, Thursday, February 13, 2025, with all supporting documentation uploaded, and the application fee paid, to be eligible.
- Population Categories: For 2025 GCAA applications, use the total community population for January 2023 from the Texas Demographic Center census data linked in the toolkit below.
ELIGIBILITY AND JUDGING:
- All Texas communities are eligible to apply, not just KTB affiliates. One community may not have more than one GCAA application. Review the Application Tips to see what constitutes as a “community” and a “program”.
- If cities and counties apply as separate communities, shared program information may not be duplicated.
- First Place GCAA winners are not eligible to achieve first, second, and third place for 4 years. For example, first-place GCAA winners in 2020 are able to achieve first, second, or third place beginning in 2025. See the chart below for reference.
Winning Year | Eligible Again |
2020 | 2025 |
2021 | 2026 |
2022 | 2027 |
2023 | 2028 |
While recent GCAA winners are not eligible to place, they are encouraged to apply in order to achieve the Award of Excellence (scoring 90 points or higher) and Sustained Excellence (receiving the Award of Excellence for 3 consecutive years.)
TOOLKIT
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
The 2025 Application Questions
2023 CENSUS DATA
The 2025 population categories are based on 2023 census estimates for each community.
APPLICATION TIPS
Review this guide to help you prepare for the online application.
Includes definitions and a list of abbreviations
TXDOT MAPS
Ensure your community has an eligible site
TROUBLESHOOT CALL
Get Answers to Emerging Questions
OFFICE HOUR
GCAA Questions? Get Answers and Apply With Confidence
Jan 28, 2025 noon – 1 pm
PROJECT GUIDELINES
Guidelines for Winning Communities’ Projects
LANDSCAPE AWARDS
By Category/Population Size
AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE AND SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Judges will recognize all applicants scoring 90 points or above with the Award of Excellence. This prestigious award distinguishes these communities throughout Texas for their outstanding achievements in protecting and enhancing their local environment, exemplifying their efforts as the standard of environmental excellence for communities nationwide.
The Sustained Excellence Award recognizes the communities that have scored 90 or above in the GCAA competition for three consecutive years. Recipients of this esteemed award are recognized for their ongoing commitment to making Texas the cleanest, most beautiful state in the nation.
PAST WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE OUTSTANDING COMMUNITIES
2024 Winners
-
Argyle
-
Whitesboro
-
Alpine
-
Seabrook
-
Anna
-
Del Rio
-
Little Elm
-
San Marcos
-
Pearland
-
Garland
2023 Winners
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Collinsville
-
Chandler
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Nolanville
-
Henderson
-
Dickinson
-
Lake Jackson
-
Burleson
-
Pflugerville
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McAllen
-
Frisco
2022 Winners
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SALADO
-
RICHWOOD
-
LUCAS
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WOODWAY
-
KATY
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CANYON LAKE
-
GRAPEVINE
-
ROWLETT
-
ALLEN
-
IRVING
2021 Winners
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MUENSTER
-
SAN SABA
-
CUERO
-
ATHENS
-
GATESVILLE
-
DUNCANVILLE
-
FRIENDSWOOD
-
MANSFIELD
-
DENTON
-
McKINNEY
2020 Winners
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South Padre Island
-
Weston Lakes
-
Lago Vista
-
Levelland
-
White Settlement
-
Alvin
-
The Colony
-
Harlingen
-
Tyler
-
Grand Prairie