In 2019, the Georgia Master Gardener Association (GMGA) established the Award of Excellence in Consumer Horticulture. This award is specifically for agents who provide leadership to MGEV programs to support consumer horticulture education for the public.  The first award winner and more information can be found in the October 2019 edition of Trellis. In 2021 the award was given to Melissa Mattee-Murphy of Fulton County.

This year, GMGA is again offering the Award of Excellence in Consumer Horticulture. Applications will be accepted through September 2, 2022. A diverse panel, including GMGA Board members and UGA faculty and staff, will review and score the applications. The winner will be announced in October at the GMGA conference Oct 1 and at the 2022 Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents (GACAA), a professional association for agriculture agents.  See the GMGA Annual Conference 2022 page for a complete listing of speakers, etc for the Conference.

In the past agents indicated that they did not feel comfortable nominating themselves.  It helps if the MGEVs nominate the agent and encourage them to apply and complete the application. You can place your agent in the running for this distinction in two ways:

• Let them know of this opportunity if they are not aware of it

• Complete the application for your agent.  Simply download the application below.  You need some information about your agent’s leadership efforts with the MGEV program.  You may need to ask them for this info or ask the county office staff for assistance.  

Thank you for encouraging your agents to apply for this distinction! It is a privilege to recognize excellent work. It is also important to provide professional recognition for consumer horticulture programming along with traditional agriculture programming. GMGA is committed to recognizing and supporting the training and leadership provided by UGA.

Download the PDF or Word document by clicking on one of the images below.