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The Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) is now accepting entries for its Green Star Awards program. As always, the program honors outstanding grounds management projects. However, in order to streamline the application process for busy green industry professionals, the awards program now only requires photographs in a digital format. It had previously required print photographs and slides.
This change comes on the heels of the program’s expansion into 15 separate categories last year. At the root of both of these changes is the desire to make this industry honor more accessible for the institutional grounds manager whether they manage private, public, commercial or industrial landscapes.
| GREEN STAR AWARDS CATEGORIES |
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As always, the Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence, complementing other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction. There are two classes of awards, the Grand and the Honor. Only one Grand Award will be given per category, while judges may grant as many Honor Awards as they deem deserving. Grounds management professionals can choose among categories ranging from commercial sites to residential landscaping to multiple sites under the same management company.
PGMS Communications Manager Eric Grammer says the association is looking forward to seeing contractors take advantage of some of the newer categories, such as the "multiple sites" and residential entries. "We've revamped the categories and hope to see more companies entering in some of the underutilized categories," Grammer says. "Participating in awards programs like this is a great marketing tool for lawn and landscape maintenance contractors and we're excited to see the Green Star Awards expand."
The deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 5, and the entry process is simple. Just fill out the entry form and submit the payment and entry to the PGMS office. The cost per entry is $150 for PGMS members and $225 for all others. For a reduced rate of $275, non-members may join PGMS and enter the contest. There is no limit to the number of categories an organization may enter. Each winning entry will be honored at the 2005 Awards Banquet in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the conclusion of the Society’s 2005 School of Professional Grounds Management and the Green Industry Expo scheduled to take place at the Orlando Convention Center from November 2 through 5.
Further information on the awards, including an official entry form, qualifications, a full listing of categories, and a list of past award winners is available online at http://www.pgms.org/greenstarawards.htm.