Week-long Plant of the Year Nomination Period Opens on September 29
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.
New Nomination Categories
The POY Committee changed the nomination process 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:
- Trees and shrubs.
- Grasses, sedges, creeping ground covers, and vines.
- Annuals, perennials and ferns.
Categories will rotate annually. For the 2026 Plant of the Year, the category will trees and shrubs. The 2027 POY will be grasses, sedges, creeping, ground covers, and vines. The 2028 POY will be annuals, perennials and ferns.
Nomination Period Extended
Starting this year, the nomination period will last for a full week so more people have a chance to participate. The 2026 POY nomination period will be from Monday, September 29 through Monday, October 6. Email, social media and website announcements will be sent on September 29 with the link to make your submission. You must be a current GNPS member to submit a nomination.
New Nomination Form
Starting this year, 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. The POY Committee will select nominees using criteria prioritized in the following order:
- Native to at least 30 counties in Georgia. You can check this on the Biota of North America Program’s (BONAP) North American Plant Atlas website.
- Receives multiple nominations.
- Ecological significance.
- Adaptability to different habitats, hardiness and disease resistance.
- 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.
Questions?
Questions may be directed to the POY Committee at plantoftheyear@gnps.org.
