2020 & 2021 Gold Medal Recipients

        

The Gold Medal Awards are presented by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, and proudly sponsored by Musco Lighting.   


 

2021 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients

Class I (population 400,001 and over)
Cleveland Metroparks — Cleveland, Ohio

Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)
City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department  — Tampa, Florida

Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
Provo Parks and Recreation — Provo, Utah

Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
Coppell Parks & Recreation — Coppell, Texas

Class V (population less than 30,000)   
Vernon Hills Park District — Vernon Hills, Illinois

Armed Forces Recreation
Naval Base Coronado — San Diego, California

State Parks
Delaware State Parks - Delaware

2021 Gold Medal Award Finalists

Class I (population 400,001 and over)

  • Chicago Park District, Chicago, Illinois
  • Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)

  • Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation, Chester, Virginia
  • Des Moines Parks and Recreation, Des Moines, Iowa
  • City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department, Tampa, Florida
  • City of Wichita Park & Recreation, Wichita, Kansas

Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)

  • City of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Department, New Braunfels, Texas
  • Provo Parks & Recreation, Provo, Utah
  • South Bend Venues Parks & Arts, South Bend, Indiana
  • Waukegan Park District, Waukegan, Illinois

Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)

  • Centerville-Washington Park District, Centerville, Ohio
  • Coppell Parks & Recreation, Coppell, Texas
  • Grapevine Parks and Recreation, Grapevine, Texas
  • Park District of Oak Park, Oak Park, Illinois

Class V (population less than 30,000)    

  • East Goshen Township Parks and Recreation, West Chester, Pennsylvania
  • Deerfield Park District, Deerfield, Illinois
  • Town of Fountain Hills Community Services, Fountain Hills, Arizona
  • Vernon Hills Park District, Vernon Hills, Illinois

Armed Forces Recreation

  • Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Kings Bay, Georgia
  • Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Florida
  • Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, California
  • U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Grafenwoehr, Germany

State Parks

  • Delaware State Parks, Delaware
  • Ohio Division of State Parks & Watercraft, Ohio
  • Tennessee State Parks, Tennessee
  • Texas State Parks, Texas

2020 Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award Recipients

Class I (population 400,001 and over)
Metroparks Toledo — Toledo, Ohio

Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)
Greensboro Parks and Recreation — Greensboro, North Carolina

Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)
Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation — Carmel, Indiana

Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)
Decatur Park District — Decatur, Illinois

Class V (population less than 30,000)   
Green River Parks and Recreation — Green River, Wyoming

Armed Forces Recreation
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Riley — Fort Riley, Kansas

2020 Gold Medal Award Finalists

Class I (population 400,001 and over)

  • Dallas Park and Recreation — Dallas, Texas
  • East Baton Rouge Recreation & Park Commission — Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Metroparks Toledo — Toledo, Ohio
  • Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities — Mesa, Arizona

Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000)

  • Greensboro Parks and Recreation — Greensboro, North Carolina
  • City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department — Tampa, Florida
  • City of Henderson Parks and Recreation — Henderson, Nevada
  • Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department — Des Moines, Iowa

Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000)

  • Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation — Carmel, Indiana
  • City of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Department — New Braunfels, Texas
  • Thornton Parks, Recreation & Community Programs — Thornton, Colorado
  • Arlington Heights Park District — Arlington Heights, Illinois

Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000)

  • Decatur Park District — Decatur, Illinois
  • Coppell Parks and Recreation — Coppell, Texas
  • Centerville-Washington Park District — Centerville, Ohio
  • Evanston Parks, Recreation and Community Services — Evanston, Illinois

Class V (population less than 30,000)    

  • Green River Parks and Recreation — Green River, Wyoming
  • East Goshen Township Parks and Recreation — West Chester, Pennsylvania
  • Vernon Hills Park District — Vernon Hills, Illinois
  • Valley City Parks and Recreation — Valley City, North Dakota

Armed Forces Recreation

  • U.S. Army Garrison Fort Riley — Fort Riley, Kansas
  • U.S. Army Garrison RP Kaiserslautern — Kaiserslautern, Germany
  • U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria — Grafenwoehr, Germany
  • U.S. Army Garrison Fort Knox — Fort Knox, Kentucky