About the Smart Growth Awards Competition

New Jersey has long been at the cutting edge of smart and sustainable planning and redevelopment. Since 2002, we have honored the very best examples of this work through the annual Smart Growth Awards as part of our mission to promote sensible and equitable growth, redevelopment, and infrastructure investments to foster healthy, strong, and resilient communities. 

 

Do you know of an innovative project, plan, or initiative that deserves to be honored for its commitment to smart growth principles? Consider nominating it for a 2025 Smart Growth Award!

Each winning project will be featured in a professionally produced video, which will be shown during the in-person Smart Growth Award Showcase event. Each winning project video will be posted online and made available to the project teams for their use.

Check out our previous award winners to view the profiles and videos of our wide-ranging winning projects.

Nominations and all supporting documents are accepted only via an online submission portal during the Call for Nominations period. We are now accepting nominations for the 2025 Smart Growth Award projects and plans as well as nominations for the Redevelopment Trailblazer Award. Submission deadline is March 31, 2025. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

If you have any questions on filling out the nomination form (that takes some time and required background information), please reach out to Susan O’Connor  (soconnornjfutureorg)   with any preliminary questions you may have on your eligibility.

Guidelines and Nomination Instructions

Submission Portal

Nominations are judged by an independent panel of experts—from various facets of the planning and redevelopment fields—against the following considerations about whether the project:

• Positively impacts the broader community.
• Is near existing development and infrastructure, ideally “redevelopment.”
• Creates or enhances connections to existing developments or plans.
• Creates or enhances a vibrant mix of uses (residential, retail, office).
• Demonstrates a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Increases the range of housing options available (affordability, size, type). If residential, it should contain designated affordable housing units.
• Engages and involves the community throughout the planning, decision-making, and implementation processes.
• Protects, enhances, or connects to open space and natural features.
• Employs historic features of the community.
• Creates or enhances transportation choices that reduce the need to drive.
• Fosters walkability and activities at the street level that encourage personal interaction.
• Improves resilience to climate change and natural hazards.
• Utilizes green infrastructure or regenerative planning concepts.

To keep informed about the Smart Growth Awards and other New Jersey Future programs and activities, sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Questions? For more information, please contact us,  (commsnjfutureorg)   (609) 393-0008.