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 Atlanta Omni Hotel. Note: NRPA’s Best of the Best Ceremony is in the same hotel. The reception begins at 5:30 pm (registration not needed if attending only the reception) with dinner seating at 6:30 pm. Registration will open early August.

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 2024 Supervisors Management School, 2025 Revenue Development & Management School and 2025 Director’s School (total of six scholarships) Learn more and apply here.

In announcing the 2024 National Gold Medal Finalists, AAPRA Executive Director Jane H. Adams shared, “Each agency is commended for submitting a 2024 application for the prestigious National Gold Medal Award. The Academy congratulates the 20 local park and recreation agencies and the four armed forces installations on receiving the Finalist award. We look forward to presenting these awards at the Gold Medal Gala Reception in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual conference.” The 2024 National Gold Medal finalists are: 

2024 nominations will open Thursday, April 9th and close Friday June 7, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time with the medal presented in the fall. The Pugsley Medal purpose is to honor outstanding contributions in parks and conservation. The Pugsley Medal is awarded to citizens, political leaders, park and conservation professionals who have dedicated their efforts to the advancement of parks and conservation at the local, regional, state, or national levels. Medal recipients inspire us as they have accomplished great things in furthering the parks and conservation agenda in the United States in their community in their region or state or nationally. 

Lacey, Washington, October 13, 2023– The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce the 2023 Grand Plaque recipients in the 2023 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting, LLC is proud to continue sponsoring the Gold Medal Awards program as it has for more than 20 years.