The Excellence in Landscape Awards recognize the skills and expertise of landscape professionals. This program celebrates the finest landscaping projects across Illinois, highlighting outstanding artistry, craftsmanship, and sustainable practices in various sectors. The purpose of the awards is to honor the work of those who elevate the profession.

Winners are announced at the prestigious Awards Night during the iLandscape Show, offering industry-wide recognition.

Awards Categories

Gold, Silver, and Merit awards are given
in the following categories:

Commercial Landscape Construction

Commercial Landscape Maintenance

Residential Landscape Construction

Residential Landscape Maintenance

Specialty Element

 All submissions are also eligible for the Professional’s Choice Award and the prestigious Judges’ Award

BOUTIQUE PROJECT LEVEL-$0-$50K
$250 FEE

The Boutique Level recognizes small to mid-size (less than 1 acre) landscape projects that demonstrate outstanding creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. It offers an opportunity for landscape professionals to showcase exceptional work in more intimate settings, highlighting the unique challenges and successes of boutique projects.

AWARDS PROJECT LEVEL-$51K & OVER
$450 FEE

This application recognizes large-scale landscape projects that demonstrate exceptional expertise in design, execution, and maintenance. This award celebrates the highest level of professionalism in delivering complex, collaborative projects that significantly enhance outdoor spaces.

The deadline to submit awards applications is November 11, 2025. Winners will be contacted in January 2026 with their results.

Application Resources

As the Excellence in Landscape Awards Program application requires several steps, we have provided this system which will allow you to save the progress of your application. In order to implement this we require the following information.

Review the Awards Entry Submission Guidelines and Awards Preparation Tips before getting started.

To ensure that your entered information is not lost due to computer or technical errors, Landscape Illinois advises applicants to type their entry descriptions into Microsoft Word (or another text program) and then copy and paste the information into the appropriate sections of the online application-OR-copy and paste the descriptions entered into the online application into Word (or another text program) before submitting or saving the application.

Applications are saved in OpenWater.
An email will be sent to the submitter with the link.