Chapter Award Categories and Descriptions

Awards for Plans, Projects, or Programs

Outstanding Plan: This award recognizes an exceptional plan that sets a benchmark for excellence in addressing community needs, fostering sustainable growth, and promoting equitable development. Honoring innovative strategies and visionary thinking, this category highlights a plan that has demonstrated significant impact. The recipient’s work exemplifies the highest standards of planning practice.

Eligibility: Awardees must be associated with a plan that is applicable to, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/ or Montgomery County).

Outstanding Project, Program, or Tool: This award recognizes a project, program, or tool that has significantly advanced the field of planning through innovation, effectiveness, and measurable impact. Recognizing exceptional initiatives, this category highlights efforts that have addressed critical issues, improved community outcomes, and set new standards in planning practices. Examples include groundbreaking projects, effective programs, or innovative tools that enhance planning processes and contribute to sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant communities.

Eligibility: Awardees must be associated with a project, program, or tool that is applicable to, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/ or Montgomery County).

Planning Excellence in Advancing Diversity and Social Equity: This award honors an individual, project, group, or organization that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. The nominated effort demonstrates a sustained commitment to advocacy by addressing the concerns of women or minority groups through specific actions or contributions within the planning profession or through planning practice.

Eligibility: Awardees must be associated with a project, program, or tool that is applicable to, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/ or Montgomery County).

Planning Excellence in Transportation: This award recognizes outstanding achievements in transportation planning that demonstrate innovation, effectiveness, and a commitment to enhancing mobility, safety, and accessibility. Celebrating projects and initiatives that have significantly improved transportation systems, this category honors efforts that promote efficient, accessible, and environmentally responsible travel options. The recipient’s work exemplifies best practices in integrating transportation planning with broader community goals, enhancing connectivity, and advancing the quality of life for all residents.

Eligibility: Awardees must be associated with a project, program, or tool that is applicable to, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/ or Montgomery County).

Awards for People

Leadership in Planning Award for Community Outreach and Engagement in Honor of Harold Foster: Recognizes an individual, team, or organization that has showcased innovative or extraordinary effort in encouraging inclusive public participation in their planning efforts. This award is named in honor of DC native and long-time professional planner, Harold Foster, who made an indelible mark on the DC region throughout his long and storied planning career.

Eligibility: Awardee must be based in, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County).

Leadership in Planning Award in Honor of Frederick Gutheim: Recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to the planning field through distinguished practice, teaching, or writing, leading to a greater awareness of the value of planning, and improving quality of life in the Chapter membership area. This award is named in honor of Frederick Gutheim, a professional planner, writer and consultant in the field of planning and historic preservation in the National Capital region.

Eligibility: Awardee must be employed within the practice of planning, whether in the public, for-profit, or nonprofit sector, within the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/ or Montgomery County).

Leadership in Planning Award for a Student in Honor of Professor Sherwin Greene: Recognizes an outstanding student in a planning or planning-related field that has excelled in their coursework, exhibited leadership among their academic peers, or exemplified exceptional application of their studies in their community. This award is named in honor of Sherwin Greene, a long-time professor of urban and regional planning at George Washington University and planning consultant in the DC region.

Eligibility: Awardee must have been/be enrolled in a planning or planning-related program of a college or university in the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County) during the applicable award period (2022-2024).

Leadership in Planning Award for a Professor: Recognizes a faculty member in a planning or planning-related program that has excelled in their teaching, demonstrated exceptional leadership within the academic community, and significantly contributed to the practical application of planning principles.

Eligibility: Awardee must have been/be a professor or lecturer in a planning or planning-related program of a college or university in the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County) during the applicable award period (2022-2024).

Emerging Planner Award: Recognizes an outstanding early-career planner with 2 to 5 years of experience who has demonstrated skill, innovation, and dedication in the field of urban and regional planning. This award celebrates a new planner's contributions to their community and their potential to shape the future of urban development. The recipient's achievements highlight their commitment to excellence and their promise as a future leader in the planning profession.

Eligibility: Awardee must be employed within the practice of planning, whether in the public, for-profit, or nonprofit sector, within the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/ or Montgomery County).

Distinguished Contribution to the Chapter: Recognizes an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association. This award honors their unwavering dedication, impactful leadership, and significant efforts in advancing the goals and mission of the chapter.

Eligibility: Awardee must be a member of the National Capital Area Chapter and be based in, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County).

Distinguished Contribution by a Community Organization: This award recognizes a community organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the field of planning through advocacy, collaboration, and impactful initiatives. Celebrating the power of collective action, this award honors organizations that have addressed critical community needs, fostered inclusive participation, and driven positive change. The recipient's dedication and achievements highlight the vital role of community organizations in shaping resilient, equitable, and vibrant communities.

Eligibility: Awardee must be based in, or have had a significant impact on, the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County).

Great Places in the National Capital Area

The Great Places Awards are new for 2024 and honor great places that enhance the built environment and foster vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive communities. By recognizing innovation and excellence in civic spaces and new development, the Great Places Awards highlight the vision and dedication that create places where people thrive, connect, and find a sense of belonging.

Great Places: New or Revitalized Civic Space: This award celebrates the creation or revitalization of a civic space that exemplifies outstanding planning, design, and community impact. Recognizing spaces that enhance public life, this category honors projects that have transformed areas into vibrant, inclusive, and accessible places for people to gather, interact, and engage. The recipient's work demonstrates excellence in fostering a sense of place, improving quality of life, and promoting civic pride.

Eligibility: Awardees must be located within the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County).

Great Places - New Development: This award recognizes exemplary new development projects that demonstrate outstanding planning, design, and community impact. Honoring developments that enhance the built environment, this category celebrates projects that create vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive spaces, fostering community interaction and enhancing the quality of life. The recipient’s work stands as a model of excellence in integrating innovative design, functionality, and environmental stewardship to build great places for people.

Eligibility: Awardees must be located within the Chapter membership area (District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and/or Montgomery County).