Put your city in the spotlight

If you see it, you’ll believe it. And not just that, you might even get inspired. That’s what America in Bloom is doing with its annual YouTube Video Contest and Photo Contest. Both are intended to showcase the benefits of America in Bloom participation that more than 200 towns across America have enjoyed since 2002.

These benefits include cleaner downtowns and neighborhoods, less graffiti, increased awareness of the environment and efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, more flowers, better heritage preservation and increased care for the urban forest. And of course, America in Bloom towns all work on installing and maintaining attractive landscapes and floral displays. In short, it’s all about quality of life.

Showcasing these efforts through both photography and video contests lets participants brag about their accomplishments in their media of choice, and each contest offers a $1,500 prize!

The YouTube Video Contest, started five years ago, has been a popular way for participating towns to show their enthusiasm for the program and talk about what it has meant to them. Each video is two minutes or less. Quite a few can be viewed on the America in Bloom website and others are on YouTube.

To help participants prepare their videos, a free on-demand webinar is available on the America in Bloom website with tips and guidelines for putting together a short video.

These videos are a remarkable resource for towns that are interested in learning what America in Bloom can mean to them.

If you love to take pictures and spend a lot of time out and about where you live, you’ve probably managed to catch just the right light and composition on a variety of subjects. Sometimes chance photos are even better than professionally staged pictures. That’s why America in Bloom has created a contest that lets photographers of all experience levels submit a portfolio of up to 18 images exemplifying what’s great in America in Bloom towns. The subject matter is broad and includes floral displays, landscaped areas, urban forestry, environmental efforts, heritage preservation and overall impression in the areas that are evaluated by America in Bloom judges including municipal, business and residential sectors.

All the videos and photos will be on display at the America in Bloom National Awards and Symposium held on October 2-4 in Philadelphia, Pa. and will be available on the America in Bloom website shortly afterward.

The author is an America in Bloom board member and international judge. She is the author of the "Fleurs du Jour" series.