The National Gold Medal Award honors public park and recreation agencies and state park systems throughout the United States and armed forces recreation programs worldwide that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices.
The National Gold Medal Award Program is managed and governed by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The National Gold Medal Award Program is sponsored by Musco Lighting, LLC.
Each completed application is independently judged by a panel of five (5) park and recreation professionals selected by AAPRA based upon their management experience, size and type of agency, geographic location, and diversity. From the pool of applications, the judges select four (4) agencies in each population category, armed forces, and state parks as a Finalist.
The four (4) Finalists in each category will be announced in April. The Finalist and Grand Plaque Awards will be presented at the NRPA Annual Conference.
2023 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients
Class I (population 400,001 & over)
- Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation - Virginia Beach, Virginia
Class II (population 150-001 to 400,000)
- City of Plano Parks and Recreation Department - Plano, Texas
Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
- Champaign Park District - Champaign, Illinois
Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
- Hoffman Estates Park District - Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Class V (population under 30,000)
- Cullman Parks, Recreation, and Sports Tourism - Cullman, Alabama
Armed Forces Recreation
- Naval Air Facility Atsugi - Kanagawa, Japan
State Parks
- Texas State Parks - Austin, Texas
2022 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients
Class I (population 400,001 & over)
- Recreation & Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Class II (population 150-001 to 400,000)
- City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation - Des Moines, Iowa
Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
- South Bend Venues Parks & Arts - South Bend, Indiana
Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
- Waukesha Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department - Waukesha, Wisconsin
Class V (population under 30,000)
- Town of Fountain Hills Community Services - Fountain Hills, Arizona
Armed Forces Recreation
- Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay - Kings Bay, Georgia
2021 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients
View the 2021 virtual presentation.
Class I (population 400,001 and over)
- Cleveland Metroparks — Cleveland, Ohio
Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)
- City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department — Tampa, Florida
Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
- Provo Parks and Recreation — Provo, Utah
Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
- Coppell Parks & Recreation — Coppell, Texas
Class V (population less than 30,000)
- Vernon Hills Park District — Vernon Hills, Illinois
Armed Forces Recreation
- Naval Base Coronado — San Diego, California
State Parks
- Delaware State Parks — Delaware
2020 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients
View the 2020 virtual presentation.
Class I (population 400,001 and over)
- Metroparks Toledo — Toledo, Ohio
Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)
- City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department — Greensboro, North Carolina
Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
- Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation — Carmel, Indiana
Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
- Decatur Park District — Decatur, Illinois
Class V (population less than 30,000)
- City of Green River Parks and Recreation Department — Green River, Wyoming
Armed Forces Recreation Award
- Fort Riley Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Community Recreation Division — Fort Riley, Kansas
2019 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients
Class I (population 400,001 and over)
- Fairfax County Park Authority — Fairfax, Virginia
Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)
- Metro Parks Tacoma — Tacoma, Washington
Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
- The Woodlands Township — Texas
Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
- City of Westerville — Westerville, Ohio
Class V (population less than 30,000)
- Glencoe Park District — Glencoe, Illinois
State Parks
- Department of Environmental Protection — Florida State Parks
Armed Forces Recreation Award
- Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler — Okinawa, Japan
2018 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients
Class I (population 400,001 and over)
- Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation — Lake Worth, Florida
Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)
- City of Arlington Parks and Recreation — Arlington, Texas
Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
- Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department — Bloomington, Indiana
Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
- Town of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation — Castle Rock, Colorado
Class V (population less than 30,000)
- Homewood-Flossmoor Park District — Flossmoor, Illinois
Armed Forces Recreation Award
- Naval Air Station Pensacola — Pensacola, Florida
Disqualification and Revocation
AAPRA reserves the right to disqualify a National Gold Medal Award application if in AAPRA’s sole discretion it determines that the application does not contain truthful information, is contrary to the standards or policies of AAPRA, or violates applicable laws, or if the agency has acted contrary to the standards or policies of AAPRA, or violated applicable law or could reflect negatively on AAPRA, the National Gold Medal Program, its partner NRPA and the national sponsor, Musco Lighting, LLC.
AAPRA reserves the right to revoke any Finalist or Grand Plaque Gold Medal award if in AAPRA’s sole discretion, it determines that the agency acted contrary to the standards or policies of AAPRA or acted in violation of applicable laws or could reflect negatively on AAPRA.
If you have questions about this award or the application process, please direct them to goldmedal@aapra.org.
Gold Medal Award Resources
