Award Categories

Awards are offered in seven categories. Three entries are selected as Finalists for each category, with one being named Category Winner. From these winning initiatives, one will earn the title of Grand Winner.

• Living Green for Biodiversity and Urban Ecosystem Restoration – addressing the loss of species, habitats, ecosystem health, and genetic diversity.
• Living Green for Climate Change – tackling the root causes and effects of climate change in order to build more liveable and resilient cities.
• Living Green for Health and Wellbeing – addressing the medical, behavioural, and social determinants of health for residents.
• Living Green for Water – ensuring water resources are safeguarded and wisely used, with clean water available to all while also protecting residents from flooding risks.
• Living Green for Social Cohesion and Inclusive Communities – bringing urban populations together and fostering belonging, equity, trust and inter-generational as well as cross-cultural relationships to prevent exclusion, marginalisation, and violence.
• Living Green for Urban Agriculture and Food Systems – Creating strategies and practices that build the resilience of city food supplies to increase employment and nutritional outcomes, reduce poverty and address urban environmental degradation.
• Living Green for Urban Infrastructure and Liveability – Promoting and supporting nature-positive lifestyles for all city residents, visitors and businesses, through a well planned, designed, and maintained built environment.

How the Awards Work

The AIPH World Green City Awards operate on a two-year cycle, allowing sufficient time for thorough evaluation, international engagement, and global recognition of shortlisted cities.

Award entries are assessed in two stages. First, a multidisciplinary, international technical panel with an advanced knowledge of Green City principles will score each entry against the judging criteria and select three Finalists per category. Next, a Jury drawn from internationally recognised City, Nature, and Sustainability focused organisations will assess the Finalists to select seven Category Winners and the overall Grand Winner.

• Vision: the initiative should be bold and include a fresh new model for using and/or delivering nature-orientated solution(s).
• Significance: the initiative should be designed to address a serious local problem or set of problems.
• Implementation: the initiative should have achieved or be well on its way to achieving its stated objective(s) and/or desirable outcomes.
• Learning and Transferability: the initiative should have generated some learning content or mechanisms that enable enhanced local practice in the future and/or offer potential for customised replication in other cities.
• Measuring and Reporting Impact: The initiative should demonstrate progress in response to monitoring, measuring, and reporting on its outcomes, impact, and success at various scales.
• Resilience: The initiative should be mindful of its impact on the planet and of its ability to be sustained over time.

This structured evaluation process ensures that recognition is based on evidence, expertise, and measurable impact. 

Grand Winner 2024

Urban Green Heart Programme, Chengdu, China

Through Chengdu’s reforestation efforts, the local area has seen an increase in wildlife biodiversity, including rare birds that use the region as a migratory corridor.

Case Study

Grand Winner 2022

Green Garland to the State of Telangana, Hyderabad, India

Hyderabad’s award-winning tree-planting initiative not only saw an increase in canopy cover around the city, it also inspired local citizens to take an interest in plants.

Case Study

All Winners

13 Category Winners from all around the world

The 2022 and 2024 editions of the Awards showcased inspiring urban greening initiatives, all tackling common city problems with the power of plants. All of these Winners, as well as the 26 Finalists, are featured in the AIPH Green City Case Study Collection.

Case Study Collection

Compiling a submission to the AIPH World Green City Awards creates the opportunity for cities to:

• Evaluate the progress and success of their project to date.
• Strengthen relationships with existing partners by working collaboratively on the submission.
• Raise awareness of the city’s urban greening with internal and external stakeholders.

By entering the AIPH World Green City Awards, cities stand a chance to:

• Have their initiatives featured on the AIPH website and integrated into the AIPH Green City Case Study Collection (all Finalists are featured).
• Benefit from collaborative amplification as part of an ongoing, international communications programme.
• Gain sustained visibility among mayors, planners, policymakers, and sustainability professionals.
• Receive award certificates and trophies, with the ability to recognise key partners and staff.
• Gain global recognition and media exposure through AIPH and World Green City Awards partners and sponsors.
• Have their city’s work displayed to a significant global audience in the AIPH pavilion of an AIPH International Horticultural Expo.

Beyond Recognition: Lasting Impact

The AIPH World Green City Awards contribute to a growing global body of knowledge on plant-centred urban development.

Each Award cycle strengthens:

• A global case study library of city initiatives.
• Knowledge exchange between municipalities.
• International recognition of plant-centred leadership.
• Advocacy for greater integration of horticulture in urban policy.

Through successive cycles, the Awards expand the international evidence base for plant-centred urban approaches. The insights generated inform AIPH’s wider Green City programme and contribute to the ongoing development of practical frameworks, including the AIPH Green City Standard.

Explore the Awards further

• View the 2026 Award Cycle
• Discover past Winners and Finalists
• Prepare your city for the next award cycle
• Subscribe to the AIPH Global Green City Update for future announcements