Award Categories

The Chapter’s Awards Program recognizes Virginia’s great planning efforts, individuals, and      communities working to make communities of lasting value for all. 

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Please note that some awards may not be granted every year. Please note the 2025 Awards Program will not award any honorable mention certificates. 

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Individual Awards

The Individual Award categories honor great practitioners and advocates of planning in Virginia.

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Foxhound Award - Distinguished New Professional
This award is named for the state dog of Virginia, the American Foxhound, and is awarded to an outstanding new planner with less than five years of experience. Just as the Foxhound is known for its good nature, reliability, and exceptional hunting abilities, this award recognizes a planner at the outset of their career who exhibits strong ethical conduct and a positive, collaborative spirit; produces high-quality work that meets professional standards and exceeds expectations; and demonstrates strong analytical skills and creative solutions in their planning approaches.

 

Larson Award - Distinguished Professional
In honor of Glenn Larson, FAICP, who has dedicated his career to advancing the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and Virginia communities by championing initiatives that promote integrity, diversity, equity, and volunteerism. This award recognizes a planner who is a model to the profession for their experience, their breadth of knowledge, their high ethical standards, as well as their exceptional skill and achievement. 
     
Moeser Award - Outstanding Servant Leader
In honor of the late Dr. John V. Moeser, our esteemed colleague who was described as an “advocate for a more just society and an urban studies trailblazer," this award recognizes a planner who has contributed to the growth of the profession and the improvement of their community. This award recognizes a remarkable planner who has embodied APA’s mission statement of Creating Great Communities for All with their individual efforts.

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Bluebell Award - Virginia’s Planning Advocate of the Year
New in 2025! Named for the Virginia Bluebell, this award celebrates individuals who cultivate the roots of effective planning in the Commonwealth - community-driven, inclusive, and equitable. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advocating for historically underrepresented and marginalized communities, including those who have been excluded due to race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or other systemic barriers. The successful nominee exemplifies a strong dedication to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in planning and community development, ensuring that all voices are heard, valued, and actively engaged in shaping the future of Virginia's communities.

 

Chandler Award – Virginia’s Citizen Planner(s) of the Year
In honor of Dr. Mike Chandler, who over his 43-year career has educated more than 15,000 Virginians in matters involving land use and zoning practices. Dr. Chandler is “an icon in Virginia Planning” who “left a lasting impression on the Commonwealth.” This award recognizes an outstanding local board or commission, an individual board or commission member, a community leader, or a civic organization that has made a significant contribution to advancing planning in the Commonwealth. 

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Cardinal Award – Legislator of the Year
Named for the State bird, the Cardinal Award recognizes elected officials who can see the big picture and find solutions through the field of planning. National, local, and state legislators are eligible for this recognition. 

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Planning Efforts

The Planning Efforts Award category recognizes planning documents, programs or initiatives that make great places happen in the Commonwealth. Depending on nominations received, submissions may be split into two sub-categories with a potential winner from each: 
Localities with a population under 100,000; and Localities with a population over 100,000. 

 

Breaking Barriers in Planning Award - Inclusion
This award recognizes planning efforts in Virginia that actively promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The successful nominee will be a planning process, plan, program, and/or initiative that meaningfully addresses the needs and concerns of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities related to planning and planning adjacent efforts.

 

Holzheimer Award - Economic Development 
In honor of Dr. Terry Holzheimer, our esteemed former colleague who was described as “one of the deans of the economic development profession,” the Chapter will recognize great planning efforts for improving Virginia’s economic development. The successful nominee will show how their study, initiative, program, or even site development yielded economic development results for their locality, region, or state. 

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Old Dominion Award - Innovative Approaches 
Virginia has many unique challenges, where innovative planning solutions are critical for making great places happen. The Innovative Approaches Award recognizes pioneering planning efforts in the Commonwealth. Nominees may include innovative planning processes, plans, programs, initiatives, or site developments that have or will result in real results.  

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Commonwealth Connectors Award - Transportation
Planners diligently work, sometimes over many years, to implement new ideas to solve the Commonwealth’s transportation challenges. From distribution centers to autonomous vehicles, each community is finding creative ways to meet the diversity of today’s modern-day transportation needs. This award highlights innovative and exceptional transportation-focused planning. 

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Virginia Award - Plan of the Year
The Virginia Plan of the Year Award honors the best planning document of the year. A successful nomination will show that the effort included outstanding planning processes, vision, implementation strategies, and innovative approaches. The planning document can be a local, regional or statewide effort. 

Great Places

The Great Places Award category recognizes great places, developments, and communities in Virginia. Depending on nominations received, submissions may be split into two sub-categories with a potential winner from each:  Localities with a population under 100,000; and  Localities with a population over 100,000. 

 

Sustainable Virginia Award - Resilient Community of the Year 
This award recognizes a community’s effort and commitment to build resilience through responsible planning practice and innovation. Successful nominees will present real-world solutions for buffering their community from the adverse effects of critical changes related to, for example, inadequate infrastructure, climate change, natural disasters, food and water shortages, economic restructuring, or institutional/organizational capacity changes.

 

Jamestown Award – Locality of the Year
In honor of the first local government in Virginia, the Chapter will recognize a locality that has undertaken sound and innovative planning practices, not in a single plan but through various efforts. This award recognizes a town, city, or county dedicated to the principles of planning. 

 

Red Clay Award – Development of the Year
Virginia’s red clay is the Commonwealth’s traditional building material, making it an appropriate name for Virginia’s Development of the Year Award. This recognition honors a development that exhibits the values of great planning, helping to create a great place in Virginia. Eligible nominees include infill developments, building rehabilitation projects, brownfield redevelopments, downtown redevelopment, and other similar projects. 

 

Open Submittals

The Awards Committee leaves room for flexibility in the Awards Program. If there is a remarkable individual, place, effort, or initiative that does not neatly fall within the defined award categories, please submit a nomination for Open Submittal consideration. The Awards Committee reserves the right to grant special recognitions and/or awards.