How to Organize a Local Beautification Contest
by Evelyn Alemanni
Organizating a local beautification contest is a great way to jumpstart your America in Bloom involvement and get attention for the visible results. The America in Bloom website has a free detailed downloadable guide at http://www.americainbloom.org/Participation-Toolbox/Organizing-a-Local-Contest.aspx.
A quick summary of how to do it follows:
Buyin
- If your town has a downtown business association, visitors bureau, or chamber of commerce, start with them.
- Talk to your city council members.
- If there are homeowners associations in your area, talk to them also.
Talking points
Talk up the benefits of a beautiful town – it’s good for economic development, people are happier, property values increase. There are links to resources and references on the America in Bloom website (www.americainbloom.org) if you want to back up these points with data. There’s also a wonderful website http://landscapeforlife.org/give_back/ that talks about what landscapes give back to a community.
Promotion
You might recruit pro-bono help from a PR firm in town, and also get your local newspaper on board to publicize the event(s). Some towns have enlisted help from the local utility and included informational flyers with the utility bill.You may want to set up a website or Facebook page with information.
Organization
You’ll want to form a committee to determine the rules for entering as well as judging criteria. You might want to enlist judges from another town for the final judging to eliminate any bias. In one town, the city council members Chose the yard of the week.What a great way to get elected officials out into the community!
Mini-contests
You may want to recognize a garden and/or business of the week. You might publish a garden and business of the week in the newspaper and on the city website and perhaps on your Facebook page. Some towns put a sign in the front yard of the yard of the week to boost awareness and pride. You might even have a “people’s choice” award, with people voting for their favorite residence and business.
Prizes
Contact local merchants to donate prizes.
Celebrate!
Finish with a big celebration – in some towns, artists donated small paintings of the winning gardens and these were given as prizes. They were quite cherished. Other towns give winners a piece of garden sculpture with a plaque.
Invite everyone in town to the celebration. Make it a very big event – perhaps a community potluck. Maybe a local band can provide entertainment gratis. Be sure to celebrate your achievements and make everyone feel proud of what they’ve accomplished. You will be inspiring lots of people!
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