Yearbook Awards

Beginning with the 2023-2024 Award year

MGC YB1 Award:

  • 1st place in state for each club size category receives $50;
  • 2nd place: $25.00
  • 3rd place: Certificate of Merit

Four copies of your Program/Yearbook are needed for the entire award application process.

First: Send two copies of the Program/Yearbook to your District Director by October 15th for judging. When submitting, include ONE copy of the application form.

Second: You may either send a hard copy (no application form) or a PDF of your club’s Program/Yearbook by October 15th to both the 2023-2025 MGC President, Nancy J. Ryan and 1st Vice President, Lisa Robinson.

  • 2023-2025 MGC President Nancy J. Ryan
    Mail: 70 Middleboro Dr. NE Grand Rapids MI 49506
    Email for PDF copy: nancyjryan@migardenclubs.org
  • 2023-2025 1st Vice President Lisa Robinson
    Mail: 4710 West Wind Drive, Holland, MI 49423
    Email for PDF copy: lisarobinson@migardenclubs.org

Number of members, includes Life Members, on whom NGC dues are paid. Yearbooks may be accepted for competition on the calendar year or the club year (the same yearbook may be submitted only one time in awards year). No envelope necessary. State Awards Chairman submits Yearbook winners in each category to the Regional Awards Chairman for consideration at that level. National recognition for yearbooks is no longer given.

YB-1 Garden club categories:

  1. Small Club 20 and under members
  2. Medium Club 21-50
  3. Large Club 51+

Criteria for Preparing and Scale of Points   Note: weighting has changed from 2022

Follow these criteria carefully. Yearbooks are judged by club size using this scale of points. State award winning yearbooks will be submitted to the Central Region Awards chairman to be judged at regional level. No page limit.

 Club Program/Yearbook submitted for judging must be exactly the same yearbook provided to club members.  Enhancement (colorization) of the yearbooks provided for judging only is not allowed.

FORMAT – 20 points

  1. Book Structure (4 pts)
    Practical, convenient size, durable, neat easy to read.
  2. Arrangement of Content
    A. Cover (3 pts)
    Name of club, town, state organization, year, appealing design. If permanent binder cover is used, substitute with paper cover and include required information on cover and so note.

    B. Title Page (3 pts)
    Name of club, town, state, year, number of members, affiliated organizations (district, state, region, NGC, other)
     
  3. Subsequent pages (8 pts)  
    Table of contents, other pages may include (in order most useful to members): club officers; club membership roster with complete mailing addresses and telephone numbers; names and addresses of NGC President, Regional Director, State President, State District Director, Council President (if any), Calendar of events. List of district/state/national meetings to avoid conflicts and encourage members to attend.
  4. Options (2 pts)
    Club’s choice to include bylaws, budget, fund raising, roll call. NGC/Regional/State themes; club theme, if used, should be evident throughout the book.

PROGRAMS – 50 points

Programs are judged upon quality and balance of programs. Study on a variety of NGC goals and objectives such as: Birds, Blue Star Memorials, Butterflies, Civic Achievement, Conservation, Environment, Flower Shows, Floral Design, Historic Preservation, Horticulture, Horticulture Therapy, Landscape Design, Legislation, Litter Control, Roadside Beautification, US & World Gardening, Wildflowers, Youth, etc.

  1. At least seven meetings a year (7 pts)
  2. Date, location/address, time of meeting (3 pts)
  3. Speaker’s name, qualifications (brief), program title (5 pts)
  4. Programs, workshops, tours furthering NGC goals & objectives (35 pts)
    Give brief description of style lecture, slides, demonstration, hands-on workshop, etc .and have variety of speakers.

PROJECTS – 30 points

Judged upon scope of project(s). Projects should involve actual membership participation that benefits the community and furthers NGC goals and objectives (does not include fund raising or social activities).

  1. List Continuing and New Projects (5 pts)
  2. Description of projects (20 pts)
    Briefly describe who benefits, how the community benefits, how members participate. Describe what members do as part of the project, location of project, list chairman, etc.
  3. List of donations (5 points)
    List amount, in-kind, to whom. Sale of state / NGC products (Vision of Beauty calendars, signs, children’s books etc.). 

TOTAL POINTS – 100

Application Form