Week-Long Plant of the Year Nomination Period Open
Sep. 28th – Oct. 5th!
The GNPS Plant of the Year (POY) program recognizes native plants that are of benefit to Georgia’s ecology and wildlife and are underutilized in commercial and residential landscapes. Every year, GNPS members are asked to nominate plants that deserve recognition and vote on their favorite candidate. The winning species is showcased throughout the year, including on a custom designed shirt.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION!
**In order to participate in this fun program – nominating a plant and voting on the candidates – you must have a current membership. Click here to join/renew your membership!
New Nomination Categories
The POY Committee changed the nomination process last year so that a greater variety of our state’s wonderful native species have a chance of being recognized. Each year, the POY will be chosen from one category only. The categories are:
• Grasses, sedges, rushes, creeping ground covers, and vines.
• Annuals, perennials and ferns.
Categories will rotate annually. For the 2027 Plant of the Year, the category will be grasses, sedges, rushes, creeping ground covers and vines.
Week-Long Nomination Period
The 2027 POY nomination period will be from Monday, September 28 through Monday, October 5. Email, social media, and website announcements will be sent on September 28 with the link to make your submission. **You must be a current GNPS member to submit a nomination.
Online Nomination Form
Nominations will be submitted via online form. This online form allows all submissions to be standardized, providing the same information for all entries. As always, nominees must be native to Georgia and not a previous GNPS Plant of the Year (see webpage).
Submissions must include both Latin and common names, as well as reasons for nomination. Previous POY winners are not eligible. The POY Committee will select nominees using these criteria, prioritized in order, as guidelines:
1. Native to at least 25 counties in Georgia. You can check this on the Biota of North America Program’s (BONAP) North American Plant Atlas website.
2. Receives multiple nominations.
3. Ecological significance.
4. Adaptability to different habitats, hardiness and disease resistance.
5. Underutilized in gardening and landscaping.
These criteria should be addressed in your nomination. The committee will select 6 nominees, although the list may be expanded to accommodate exceptional submissions.
