GardenComm Honors
GardenComm Honors recognize industry excellence and service to the association with the Honors program. Please submit nominations in Word format with qualifications, resume, and links plus up to two secondary nominations. Include the nominee’s email, phone number and address and your own. Posthumous awards will not be given. We discourage self-nominations; please have a friend or colleague nominate you. Sitting board officers and directors are not eligible. The Honors Committee is not obliged to confer an award in any category. Honors nominations are evaluated by the Honors Committee and the Green Medal is awarded by the Sustainability Committee. Honorees are approved by the Board of Directors and recognized at the annual conference.
Hall of Fame Member ( See current and past winners ) is the highest honor GardenComm can bestow on a member whose life and career has materially affected and advanced the mission and values of GardenComm. Service to the organization is a prime element in the nomination. One member may be elected annually.
Honorary Member (See current and past winners) recognizes a non-member who is actively engaged in garden-related activities that promote Garden Communicator International’s mission and values on a national level. The individual’s efforts reflect the highest ideals of the organization in terms of service. Examples include previous honorees Bette Midler and Lady Bird Johnson. One award may be given each year.
Fellow (See current and past winners) recognizes an active member who has demonstrated exceptionally high degrees of skill, professional ethics and dedication to GardenComm’s mission and values. Service to the organization is a prime element in the nomination. Two members may be elected Fellows each year.
Wilfred J. Jung Distinguished Service Medal (See current and past winners) may be awarded to one allied trade member that has contributed significantly to the promotion of home gardening and garden communications. It is named for Wil Jung who was president of the J.W. Seed Company, a family business founded by his father and later served as executive director of the Garden Writers of America from 1984 to 1991.
Emergent Communicator Award (See current and past winners) recognizes a member under the age of 40 who has demonstrated exceptionally high degrees of skill, professional ethics and dedication to GardenComm’s mission and values. One member may be named each year.
Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award (See current and past winners) recognizes an individual who communicates scientific ideas, concepts, or findings related to horticulture and gardening in terms that are easily understood by laypersons. This award celebrates an entire body of work. Cynthia Westcott (1898-1983) was an American plant pathologist, author, and rose expert named to the Hall of Fame in 1982 and inducted as an honorary member in 1993. One award may be made each year to a member or non-member.
Green Medal Sustainability Award (See current and past winners) recognizes the accomplishments of individuals or allied organizations dedicated to wise and respectful care of the Earth, and implementation of sustainable and regenerative practices. Member and non-member nominations are welcome.
Sustainability Leader Impact Award (See current and past winners) recognizes the accomplishments of individuals who make a global impact through their programs and sustainable initiatives, within corporations and organizations. Honorees are determined by GardenComm Executive Committee and Executive Director.
Note: Sitting officers and directors of GardenComm are not eligible for GardenComm Honors.
Congratulations to our 2024 Honorees
GardenComm congratulates recipients of its 2024 Honors, recognizing excellence and service in the green communicators industry. Honorees were presented their awards during the Awards & Honors Virtual Program on Friday, August 28th in Grand Rapids. If you would like to learn more about this years winners, please see Meet the Honorees.
A special thank you to the 2024 Honors Committee, including chair Deb Wiley, Bill Thomas, Kelly Norris, and Maria Zampimi, as well as the Sustainability Committee for all their work in selecting this year's honorees.