Dec 06 2023
Governor’s Community Achievement Awards
Applications Open Jan 2- Feb 15, 2024
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 2024 GCAA applications will be open January 2- February 15, 2024
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Awards
Ten first-place-winning communities will receive the Governor’s Community Achievement Award. First place winners share $2 million in landscaping funds.
Specific locations of landscape projects will be determined in consultation between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the winning community. Highway landscape projects will be designed, funded, and contracted by TxDOT at approved sites on the existing state highway system.
First-place winners will also receive a plaque and provided with a communications toolkit to share the news with the community. Second and third-place winners will receive an award.
Landscaping Awards
by Population Size *2020 census estimates
Category 1: Up to 3,000 $90,000
Category 2: 3,001-5,500 $110,000
Category 3: 5,501-9,000 $130,000
Category 4: 9,001-15,000 $160,000
Category 5: 15,001-25,000 $180,000
Category 6: 25,001 – 40,000 $210,000
Category 7: 40,001-65,000 $250,000
Category 8: 65,001-90,000 $270,000
Category 9: 90,001-180,000 $290,000
Category 10: Over 180,000 $310,000
Evaluation
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
Eligibility
The 2024 Governor’s Community Achievement Awards will open on January 2, 2024. The award application must be submitted online with all supplemental materials uploaded and application fees received by Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 5 p.m. CST. Late, faxed, or emailed entries will not be accepted. There is an application fee of $25/entry.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
- For application questions, the reporting period is from January 1 – December 31, 2023.
- Your application must be submitted by 5 pm CST, Thursday, February 15, 2024, with all supporting documentation uploaded, and the application fee paid, to be eligible.
- Population Categories: For 2024 GCAA applications, use the total community population for January 2020 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. See the definitions below 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.)
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.
Toolkit
Past Winners
Congratulations to these Outstanding Communities
2023 Winners
By Population Category
-
Collinsville
-
Chandler
-
Nolanville
-
Henderson
-
Dickinson
-
Lake Jackson
-
Burleson
-
Pflugerville
-
McAllen
-
Frisco
2022 Winners
By Population Category
-
SALADO
-
RICHWOOD
-
LUCAS
-
WOODWAY
-
KATY
-
CANYON LAKE
-
GRAPEVINE
-
ROWLETT
-
ALLEN
-
IRVING
2021 Winners
By Population Category
-
MUENSTER
-
SAN SABA
-
CUERO
-
ATHENS
-
GATESVILLE
-
DUNCANVILLE
-
FRIENDSWOOD
-
MANSFIELD
-
DENTON
-
McKINNEY
2020 Winners
By Population Catagory
-
South Padre Island
-
Weston Lakes
-
Lago Vista
-
Levelland
-
White Settlement
-
Alvin
-
The Colony
-
Harlingen
-
Tyler
-
Grand Prairie
The Governor’s Community Achievement Awards are brought to you in partnership with
