City Seeks Applications for 2025 Neighborhood Awards

Virtual Workshop Scheduled for July 15 to Assist Applicants

July 02, 2025

The City of Tallahassee's 2025 Neighborhood Awards Program is back, ready to spotlight the neighborhoods and neighbors making a positive impact in the community! With a welcoming environment, plenty of natural beauty and lots of good-hearted citizens, it's easy to see why Tallahassee is an All-America City.

Applications are open, and neighbors and neighborhoods will be recognized in the following 2025 Neighborhood Awards Program categories:

Outstanding Neighbor of the Year Award
Any resident who has facilitated improvement(s) in his/her neighborhood and/or any other neighborhood within the City of Tallahassee in the past year (2024) is eligible to be nominated. The Neighbor of the Year Award includes two categories:

• Neighborhood Advocacy - This award recognizes a neighborhood leader or resident who has demonstrated strong advocacy and diligence in advancing policies, programs, projects and/or initiatives to improve the quality of life for a single neighborhood or entire community.
• Neighborliness - This award recognizes a neighborhood leader or resident who embodies the spirit of neighborliness, taking care of others, providing neighborhood/community services and/or helping with efforts within or beyond their neighborhood that promotes community and unity.

Neighborhood of the Year Award
Any City of Tallahassee neighborhood/homeowners' association that facilitated improvement(s) in its community, actively engaged residents in community building and bonding activities and/or was involved in the civic aspect of the City in the past year (2024) is eligible to be nominated. The Neighborhood of the Year Award includes two categories:

• Small Neighborhood - Neighborhoods with fewer than 200 homes
• Large Neighborhood - Neighborhoods with more than 200 homes

Best Neighborhood Programs Award
Any City of Tallahassee neighborhood/homeowners' association that facilitated and/or completed projects that improved their neighborhoods in the past year (2024) is eligible to be nominated. The focus is on the physical aspects of a neighborhood, social or cultural aspects of a neighborhood and/or communication outreach efforts to bring the neighborhood together.

The Best Neighborhood Programs Award is given in three categories:

• Best Physical Improvements - This award category recognizes outstanding projects that enhance the physical aspects of a neighborhood (i.e., parks, lighting, litter control, traffic management, housing improvements, etc.).
• Best Social Improvements - This award category recognizes outstanding projects that enhance the social or cultural aspects of a neighborhood (i.e., safety, youth and/or senior programs, programs that foster teamwork and connections, etc.).
• Best Communication - This award category highlights excellence and creativity in neighborhood-oriented publications, communication and/or outreach activities. This award may also recognize neighborhood groups that are diligent about notifying residents, promoting their organization and/or communicating with members via printed material and/or social media.

For more than 40 years, the City has proudly honored the outstanding work being done by neighborhood leaders and residents to further enhance and enrich their communities.

Recipients of the Neighborhood of the Year Award will receive an award sign to display in their respective neighborhoods. Previous winners will receive a sign blade that will be affixed to their existing Neighborhood of the Year sign. For the 2025 awards program, a cash prize of $500 will be provided to the winners of Neighborhood of the Year to fund a neighborhood program or project. Recipients of Neighbor of the Year and Best Neighborhood Programs awards will receive award plaques.

Neighborhoods located within the City limits are encouraged to apply and highlight their efforts undertaken in 2024 to bring about positive change. The application and more information about the categories are available online at Talgov.com/NeighborhoodAwards. If you need a hard copy, please contact the City's Neighborhood Affairs division at 850-891-8795. All entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.

To assist applicants in completing their applications, a virtual workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 15, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Registration for the workshop is encouraged, but not required. To register for the workshop and for more information about the awards program, visit Talgov.com/NeighborhoodAwards.