Awards - American Planning Association California Chapter

APA California Chapter Awards

The APA California Awards Program celebrates excellence in planning throughout the state, recognizing the outstanding work, leadership, and innovation shaping California’s communities. Each year, APA California presents Planning Awards to honor exceptional plans and projects, distinguished APA members, lay contributors to planning, and the achievements of APA California Sections.

The program is guided by established policies and procedures adopted by the APA California Board of Directors to ensure a fair, consistent, and transparent process. Through this program, APA California seeks to encourage quality in planning and elevate public awareness of the planning profession.

Policy

The APA California Chapter Board adopted updates to the Awards Policy in January 2024, with changes taking effect beginning with the 2025 awards cycle. These updates streamline and consolidate award categories to create a more consistent process and better align with national award categories.

Applicants must first apply at the Section level where the project occurred to be eligible for a Chapter award, unless the project has multi-section or statewide significance.

For complete guidelines and detailed criteria for each award, please review the Awards Program Policies.

Nominations

Now Open: APA California 2026 Chapter Award Nominations

NOMINATE

Deadline: May 15, 2026

Winners

Congratulations to our 2025 APA California Award Winners!

Categories

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Opportunity and Empowerment Award (Implementation)

Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan

Implementation Award

Resilience and Sustainability Award

Transportation Planning Award

Planning Excellence Award

Grassroots Initiative Award

Urban Design Award

Planning Firm Award

Planning Agency Award

Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff Award

Academic Award

Communications Initiative and Outreach Award

Planning Landmark and Pioneer Awards

Nominations for Planning Landmark and Pioneer Awards must be submitted to the Chapter for review by the Chapter Historian and the Chapter Board. Special criteria have been established for these two award categories. If the Chapter Historian determines that a nomination does not meet the criteria for either a Planning Landmark or Planning Pioneer Award, the Awards Coordinator shall have the option to submit the nomination for a different Award category.

The Planning Landmark Award is for a planning project, initiative, or endeavor that are at least 25 years old that are historically significant, initiated a new direction in planning or impacted California planning, cities, or regions over a broad range of time or space.

Presented to pioneers of the profession who have made personal and direct innovations in California planning that have significantly and positively redirected planning practices, education or theory with long-term results.

Special Chapter Awards

Any person including a member of the APA California Board, or the Sections can make nominations for these awards. Self-nominations are allowed for these award categories. Nominations for these categories will be submitted through the awards application portal, then provided to the Chapter President for review and selection of the winner. If no nominations are received, the Chapter President may, at their discretion, select a winner.

To an APA California member who has made a substantial contribution to the development and objectives of APA California over a sustained period.

Recognizing an APA California member who has contributed to the goals and objectives of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association and to its strategic plan through an extraordinary effort over a short period of time.

Section Activity Awards

The APA California Section Activity Award recognizes the outstanding work of a Section that has established or implemented an activity or program of unusually high merit within the past two years. Section Activity Award winners are only eligible to receive the award once every three years. Any person including a member of the APA California Board or the Sections can make nominations for this award. Self-nominations are allowed for this award category.

Planner Emeritus (PEN) Awards

The PEN Honor Awards are presented to persons for their outstanding contribution to the planning profession or for a significant accomplishment which enhanced the recognition of planning. PEN represents a body of long-tenured members of APA who are available to provide to the APA California Board and to other APA California groups substantial knowledge of the profession as it has matured in California, in particular. Nominations must be submitted to the PEN President or a member of the PEN Board of Directors.

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