Through Beautification Projects, garden clubs and regions share their knowledge and love for gardens and plants with their community. The OAGC encourages these projects as ways to enhance the aesthetics of the community and state of Ohio.
The Nature and Conservation Department oversees Beautification Contests through which clubs and regions can be recognized, and win cash prizes, in honor of their outstanding projects.
One Temporary project of $250 will be awarded.
Permanent project awards are: first place – $500, second place – $400, and third place – $300.
To be eligible for the contest, entries must be submitted by an active OAGC club or submitted by the OAGC Executive Board, and may not be a previous first place state winner within the last three years.
Projects are scored in two ways: panels of three OAGC judges visit and evaluate each project, and the state Nature and Conservation Chair judges the booklets created to describe the projects and the steps in their creation. All scoring sheets and booklets must reach the state Nature and Conservation Chair by DEC. 15 for the project to be eligible for prizes without incurring penalties.
Projects may be submitted electronically via PDFs and photos, BUT all criteria spelled out on the scoring sheets still must be followed, regardless of format.
Beautification project procedures
Getting started
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Is your project eligible? Entries must be submitted by an active OAGC club or submitted by the OAGC Executive Board, and may not be a previous first place state winner within the last three years.
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Decide whether you are submitting a Permanent project or a Temporary Project. A permanent project is one that has plants rooted in the ground all year and reflects an investment in the site, whereas a temporary/seasonal project uses only planters or baskets (regardless of how long the project has been going on). If a project is a combination of plants in the ground AND planters or baskets, it is considered a permanent project. A community garden, where everything is harvested at the end of the season, would also be considered a temporary/seasonal project.
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Click here for the Beautification Contest Policies and Procedures and Scoresheets. You will use the information from this document to guide your project.
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Plan and work on your project and keep records of it in a project book (or on-line file) with photos and descriptions.
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Choose the date you wish your project to be judged (when your project is at its peak). Fill out the top half of the Project Application and Score Sheet and send it to your Regional Nature and Conservation Chair or your Regional Director at least 30 days prior to the desired judging date. Your director or chair will help pull together a scoring committee.
Notes on Judging
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A scoring committee of three is chosen; suggested members are the regional Nature & Conservation Chair, regional Director or Director-elect, county contact chair, OAGC judge and/or other regional or state chair. A judge cannot be a member of the club whose project is being judged.
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The scoring committee must be sure the project is eligible. The applicant must be an active OAGC club and the project cannot have been a first place winner within the past three years. A project also can be submitted directly by the OAGC Executive Board.
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The scoring committee will notify the club of the judging date. This should be within the month the club selected.
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The scoring committee will follow the guidelines on the Project Application and Score Sheet, and also observe whether the planting areas are groomed and free of weeds, and whether plants are in good condition with no signs of disease or major insect damage.
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The scoring committee can write additional comments on a separate sheet of paper, stating the faults as well as the good points, and explaining why points were not given.
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The scoring committee will mail the Project Application and Score Sheet within 30 days of judging, or before Dec. 15, whichever comes first, to the State Nature & Conservation Chair. The score sheet must be received by December 15.
Completing your submission
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The applying club must complete a project booklet, or compile electronic files, following the guidelines on the Project Book Application and Scoresheet. Fill out club information on the top half of the scoresheet and submit it and the book to the state Nature & Conservation Chair by Dec. 15. In lieu of a booklet, clubs may submit all material online, using pdfs and photos. Be sure to meet all the criteria in the Project Book Application and Scoresheet.
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The state Nature & Conservation Chair will judge the booklets or electronic materials, using the Project Book Application and Score Sheet as a guide. The score of the book or electronic submission will be averaged with the judges’ scores for the project itself. Projects with an average score of at least 80 will be considered for awards.
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Late entries will be docked a penalty of one point per day, not to exceed a five-point penalty. Entries received after Jan. 1 will not be considered for competition.
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The state Nature & Conservation chair will submit contest results to the OAGC president by March 15. The executive board will decide which projects will receive awards, which are paid through the Foundation. One temporary project will receive $250. Permanent project awards are: First place, $500; second place, $400; and third place, $300. Awards are announced at the annual OAGC convention.
