We envision a resilient world dependent on the thoughtful cultivation of plants

Design Futurist Award

The Design Futurist Award elevates the power of garden design to achieve climate resilience, steward biodiversity, and connect people with nature.

The Design Futurist Award elevates the power of garden design to achieve climate resilience, steward biodiversity, and connect people with nature.  

Visionary designers and regional plantspeople demonstrate that we can conserve plants and wildlife, treat our water and soil as precious, and hold the wellbeing of people at the center of our gardened environments. 

The Design Futurist Award celebrates garden design that is easily replicable, modest in scale, or designed for intimate neighborhood community use.    

Photo Credits: Caitlin Atkinson, Under Western Skies; From Left to Right: Columbia River Gorge Garden, Hood River, OR. Designer: Paden Prichard; Edendale (Echo Park) Garden, Los Angeles, CA. Designer: David Godshall, Terremoto LA

The Design Futurist Award is a call for designers to be ecologically radical and socially bold. We hold this competition to bring design solutions to our diverse community of gardeners and allied horticulture professionals. 

At Pacific Horticulture, we believe there is a gap in recognition of garden designers working on modest-scale climate resilient garden design. Even small-scale examples of design with resilient plant selections are proving to have positive environmental impacts. Increasing the number of resilient gardens drives community change in neighborhoods. The Design Futurist Award invites design solutions that harness the unique character of each site and its climate, topography, and flora in the Pacific region. Pacific Horticulture’s pillar educational themes provide the foundation for the award’s impact. 

THEMES

The winning design will encompass one or more of the following themes.

Growing for Biodiversity

Ecologically focused gardens that support food webs and pollinators by including native and keystone plants with minimal or no traditional lawn, low water use, and functional planting, while minimizing impacts of artificial light.

Drought and Fire Resilience

Gardens that demonstrate principles of water wise design or protection from wildfire especially in the wildland urban interface, including appropriate plant selections for the garden and community.

Nature is Good for You

Gardens that support human health and well-being, connecting individuals or communities with nature and place.

Garden Futurist

Gardens that embody a vision for future livability in the face of climate change, applying research and innovation, while embracing cultural knowledge and inclusion. Garden installation and maintenance is achieved by employing fair, equitable practices.

Sustainable Gardening

Gardens that demonstrate a commitment to green infrastructure, temperature moderation, fossil fuel reduction, and care in materials selection and sourcing.

Photo Credits: Caitlin Atkinson, Under Western Skies. From Left to Right: The Nature Gardens, Los Angeles, CA. Designer: Mia Lehrer, Studio-MLA; Marwin Gardens, Watsonville, CA. Designers: Sandi Martin and Art Winterling; Columbia River Gorge Garden, Hood River, OR. Designer: Paden Prichard; The Valley of Hearts Delight, Los Altos, CA. Designer: Leslie Bennett, Pine House Edible Gardens

AWARD CATEGORIES

Top Prize is awarded to one garden that exceptionally embodies one or more themes.

Honors are awarded to designs exemplifying a theme.

Eligibility

All submissions must be of built work. Application should be submitted by the designer and should credit all team members involved in the construction of the work.

Gardens must be located within the Pacific Region, defined here as: California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Hawai’i, Alaska, and Baja California.

 

KEY DATES

Call for submissions opens: April 2, 2024

Deadline to submit: July 26, 2024

Awards recipients announced: October 15, 2024

Jury

OUR SPONSORS

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PRIZE

Design Futurist Award Top Prize

The designer(s) receiving the top prize Design Futurist Award will be showcased in a Pacific Horticulture feature article. The top prize winner may use the winning mark and award title on their promotional collateral. The top prize winner will also receive a gift package assembled by our generous sponsors, featuring products or services supporting resilient garden design and creation.  

Design Futurist Award Honors

The designer(s) receiving Design Futurist Award Honors will be included in a Pacific Horticulture feature article. Gardens receiving honors may use the winning mark and award title on their promotional collateral. The Award Honors winners will receive a gift package assembled by our generous sponsors, featuring products or services supporting resilient garden design and creation.

APPLY

Pacific Horticulture is committed to creating an inclusive, equity-based, community focused organization that empowers people to take action on science-based climate solutions. 

 

The application window is opening soon! 

 

Award applications may be submitted for gardens within the Pacific Region, defined here as: California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Hawai’i, Alaska, and Baja California.

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