News & Announcements

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: 

In support of its research mission, the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration (AAPRA) hosts an annual research paper competition that alternates between best doctoral dissertation (even numbered years) and best master’s thesis/special project paper (odd numbered years). The following three awards will be given in 2025: One (1) Masters/Special Project Paper $750 and up to $500 in travel funds to attend the NRPA 2025 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, September 16-18, 2025, and a Award Certificate of Merit. Two (2) Certificate of Merit awards to two Masters/Special Project Paper finalists.

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS), and National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) are proud to announce a career development video has been produced and financed by PRPS and is now available to introduce high school and college students to parks and recreation as a viable career choice.

Housed at nrpa.org/ChoiceCareer, the video is associated with complementary career development materials available to agencies and professionals nationwide. It is designed to be an integral component of seasonal staff orientations, new employee trainings, introductions to public recreation programs like family movie nights and teen programs, high school and public event presentations, and many other local opportunities that engage with the video’s prime audience.

A Choice Career: Parks and Recreation offers an interview-driven, “real people, real stories,” approach to create a compelling, emotional appeal that expands viewers’ awareness and understanding of the diversity and viability of a meaningful and fulfilling career in parks and recreation—along with an invitation to connect interest with action.