Search for Excellence is a triennial awards program celebrating the contributions, innovations, and impacts of UC Master Gardeners across the state. This statewide competition is designed to recognize outstanding UC Master Gardener projects that support our mission of public gardening education. Cash prizes are awarded to the three highest-scoring entries.
Coordinator Feedback
Over the last 5 years, the UC Master Gardener Program has been running an individual volunteer recognition campaign, Gardeners with Heart, in addition to the triennial Search for Excellence contest. While coordinators indicate that they value the opportunity to recognize the strengths of individual volunteers through Gardeners with Heart, they continue to provide feedback around the need for additional team recognition opportunities at the statewide level. Furthermore, coordinators indicate that some projects they feel contribute significantly to community impact are not captured by the current SFE categories.
New for 2026
Excellence at Heart
In 2026, Search for Excellence gets the “Gardeners with Heart” (GWH) treatment, meaning that high-scoring applications outside of the top 3 will be featured in either a statewide blog, social media post, impact report, or statewide conference presentation.
The three highest-scoring entries will continue to receive special recognition via dedicated blog features, awards presentations at the 2026 Statewide Conference, and cash prizes.
By adopting this framework, we hope to better support coordinators in telling the stories of volunteer teams and respecting the administrative and time burden of submitting a nomination.
Gardeners with Heart will be paused for 2026, resuming in 2027 to celebrate individual impacts.
New Categories
Additionally, the Search for Excellence categories were updated to better reflect the wide range of contributions UC Master Gardener volunteers are making across California. While the original categories highlighted important areas such as community service, demonstration gardens, and youth education, they did not fully capture the evolving scope of our work.
The revised categories emphasize food security, environmental stewardship, climate resilience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion areas central to UC ANR’s public value priorities and integral to the future of our efforts. By broadening and refining the categories, we ensure that innovative projects, whether they expand access to gardening education, build climate-smart landscapes, or foster healing and well-being through green spaces—can be celebrated and shared statewide.
Key Dates:
- Submission Guidelines posted online Nov. 17, 2025
- Submissions accepted Dec. 1, 2025 - Feb 1, 2026, Close of Business
- Top 3 winners contacted by end of February 2026
- Top 3 winners announced publicly in April 2026 during National Volunteer Month
- Other eligible submissions celebrated from May - December 2026
- Virtual 2026 UC Master Gardener Conference: Sept. 18-20, 2026
2023 Winning Projects
- Riverside County’s Project on the Soboba Cultural Garden Wins Grand Prize!
- Sacramento County: Video Learning Reaches Larger Audiences
- Award-Winning Excellence, Community, and Empowerment in El Dorado County
Questions? Contact - mgsfe@ucanr.edu