Spotlight Awards are presented to individuals to honor their efforts — both professional and personal — in the field of parks and recreation. Award winners include park and recreation professionals, volunteers, engaged community members, and park advocates.
The nomination period for the 2024 NRPA Spotlight Awards was January 5 - March 29. 2024 Winners (listed below) will be recognized at the Best of the Best Ceremony at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Get A Reminder about the 2025 Nomination Period
Want to learn how to create an engaging application? Check out this video: Taking the Mystery Out of the NRPA Awards Process
National Distinguished Professional Award
The National Distinguished Professional Award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field through their leadership, research, advocacy, community outreach, and program development.
Who should be nominated: A park and recreation professional that excels in their career with at least 15 years of experience in the field. If you know a proven park and rec leader who works to advance the profession, you should nominate them!
2024 Winner: Michael McCarty, CPRP, Executive Director, Glenview Park District, Glenview, Illinois
Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award
The Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award is presented to an individual who has shown qualities and skills needed to attain positions of leadership through their contributions to advancing the field, their creativity in creating or managing programs, and their participation in professional organizations, such as NRPA.
Who should be nominated: Park and Recreation professionals excelling at what they do and are under 35 years of age with a few years of experience under their belts. Everyone likes to be recognized — take the time to show your appreciation for an outstanding young professional.
2024 Winner: Javier Martinez, CPRP, Manager of Fitness & Aquatics, Waukegan Park District, Waukegan, Illinois
Dirk Richwine Professional Mentoring Award
New for 2023, the Dirk Richwine Professional Mentoring Award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions through mentoring of individuals and organizations to strengthen the field by helping other professionals grow, develop, and flourish, and by better preparing the next generation of parks and recreation leaders. Click here to learn more about the life and legacy of Dirk Richwine.
Who should be nominated: Park and recreation professionals who have made outstanding contributions through mentoring individuals and organizations to strengthen the field.
2024 Winner: Ryan Davis, CPRE, Director of Parks & Recreation, City of Miamisburg, Ohio
Robert M. Artz Advocate Award
The Robert M. Artz Award recognizes an advocate, an elected or appointed official, or volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding efforts to forward public parks and recreation through education and activating the public in their community, state or at the national level.
Who should be nominated: Volunteers, advocates, and elected members of your community that have done amazing things for parks and recreation need to be recognized. You should nominate them!
2024 Winner: Mary Behling, Former Chairperson, Cambridge Community Activities Program, Cambridge, Wisconsin
Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research
Awarded on a 3-year cycle. The application will be accepted next in 2027.
The Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research is presented to an individual whose contributions to parks and recreation through research have significantly advanced the cause of the parks and recreation movement and whose dedication to the field parallels the same dedication and zeal toward parks, recreation and conservation that was exhibited by the presidents after whom the award is named.
Who should be nominated: A professional, researcher, student or professor who has contributed significantly to a research paper or project that has advanced the field.
2024 Winner: Dr. Clement Lau, Departmental Facilities Planner, Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation, Los Angeles, California
The Spotlight Awards are presented at the annual Best of the Best ceremony during the NRPA Annual Conference.
View previous award winners.
NRPA is now offering Digital Badges for Spotlight Award winners. Digital Badges provide professionals and agencies a way to be recognized for their achievements while offering others information on these accomplishments. To access the digital badges for Spotlight Awards and information on how to use them, please log into your NRPA profile.
For additional information contact awards@nrpa.org
