Save the date! All Academy members, externs, mentors, buddies, and guests are invited to attend the Academy’s annual Awards Reception and Banquet. The event will be at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Orlando. The reception begins at 5:30 pm (registration not needed if attending only the reception) with award dinner and presentations 6:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Registration will open Monday July 28. 

The American Parks & Recreation Foundation (Foundation), philanthropic partner of the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration (Academy), is sponsoring two (2) scholarships to cover the tuition for two (2) first-year students to attend the National Recreation & Park Association’s 2025 Supervisors Management School, 2026 Revenue Development & Management School and 2026 Director’s School (total of six scholarships) Learn more and apply here.

In announcing the 2025 National Gold Medal Finalists, AAPRA Executive Director Jane H. Adams shared, “Each agency is commended for submitting a 2025 application for the prestigious National Gold Medal Award. The Academy congratulates the 20 local park and recreation agencies, three state parks, and four armed forces installations on receiving the Finalist award. We look forward to presenting these awards at the Gold Medal Gala Reception in Orlando, Florida, as part of the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual conference.” The 2025 National Gold Medal finalists are: