Nominations

Trail Awards

Our biennial trail awards recognize the efforts and achievements of exceptional individuals, organizations, and land managers working to make Washington State’s trails the nation’s best. 

There are four award categories:

Honors an individual who has demonstrated longstanding and exceptional service to the trails of Washington State and its users. Areas of impact could include advocacy, planning, community engagement,  construction, maintenance, and education.

Honors an individual, organization, or land manager who has had a significant, positive, contribution to any aspect of Washington’s trails over the past two years.

Honors an emerging leader who has distinguished themselves with a significant, positive contribution to any aspect of Washington’s trails over the last two years. Special consideration will be given for exceptional community service with a direct and specific benefit to youth outdoor recreation, fostering youth stewardship, or the use of trails by youth. Nominations will be considered for individuals who were under 30 years of age at the time of the contribution and for programs/organizations that are primarily composed of, or led by, youth or adults under age 30.

Honors a trail project which has demonstrated at least some of the following during the past five years: exceptional planning, design, and implementation, public participation, creative funding, verified economic impact, outstanding user experience, and benefit to the local community. Applications will be accepted from any individual, organization, or government entity involved with, or directly impacted by, the trail.

Nominations for the 2024 Awards will open in May.

How to

Nominations

The WSTC Board of Directors shall have sole authority in the determination of award recipients.

Only one nomination per email. If you wish to submit more than one nomination please send each in separate emails. If materials exceed 10MB provide a link for downloading the files as larger emails may be rejected by servers.

Include a .docx format file, 750-word maximum with no graphics, which clearly presents the exceptional values of the individual or organization for which the nomination is submitted. This narrative should align with the criteria for the appropriate category.

  • Provide two or three high-resolution digital photos directly related to the award category and suitable for enlargement (1MB or higher each, 300 dpi minimum).
  • Submit your nomination with all materials electronically via the webform below or you can email the nomination form to info@watrails.org
Nomination
Who or which trail you are nominating?

Please give us a brief summary of your nominatee and attach the full testimonial and photos. The complete instructions and nomination for are available at the link above.

    View Our Past Winners

    Congratulations to the winners and a hearty “Thank You!” from all of the trail users in Washington!

    Trail users around the state, and our many out-of-state visitors, owe a debt of gratitude for the hard work of the winning individuals and organizations — and to the many others as yet unrecognized!

    The 2022 WSTC Trails Award Winners were announced during the Friday Night Out Reception of the Washington State Trails Conference in Everett.

    • 2022 Outstanding Trail Award Winner – Canyon Creek Downhill
    • 2022 Emerging Trail Award Winner – Hailey Bray
    • 2022 Trail Leader Award Winner – Yvonne Kraus
    • 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Alan Carter Mortimer
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