Applications for the Search for Excellence award will be due on March 15, 2020.
Search for Excellence (SFE) is the recognition program of the Iowa Master Gardener program. SFE has seven categories:
- Youth/School Gardens
- Demonstration/Research Garden (applied scientific methodology)
- Workshop or Presentation
- Special Needs Audience (i.e. seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, minority groups, incarcerated individuals, etc…)
- Mass Communications (i.e. newsletters, television, radio, social media, website, publications)
Recommended Resource: Program Evaluation: How to effectively plan and evaluation MG programs.
Through the Search for Excellence recognition program, Master Gardeners can demonstrate their outstanding contributions to their communities, providing significant learning and impact in the local area. All SFE applications must show that significant learning took place, with the focus on educating the general public rather than individual Master Gardeners. All SFE winning projects must be a team effort. Usually the awards are presented to individual county groups, but cooperation across county lines is encouraged as well.
Search for Excellence Guidelines
Search for Excellence Application Form
2019 Search for Excellence Winner:
Buchanan County: Prairie Pioneer Schoolhouse
2018 Search for Excellence Winners:
Pocahontas County: Garden Extravaganza
Webster County: Frontier Garden
2017 Search for Excellence Winner:
Linn County: Planting for Pollinators
2015 Search for Excellence Winners:
2013 and 2014 Winners Include: Cass County, Boone County, Warren County, Linn County (2), Mills County, and West Pottawattamie County.