Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase Logo

Show us how you're helping Boulder become more climate resilient.

Have a pollinator garden, water-wise yard, shade trees, native plants or another landscape that supports a healthier, more resilient community? Submit your project by July 10.

The first 200 qualifying submissions receive a $50 gift card. Selected project ideas may receive up to $25,000 in funding.

Share an Existing Landscape

Good Sep Traditional

You already completed a project

  • Open to homes, businesses, schools and community spaces
  • First 200 qualifying submissions receive a $50 gift card
  • Chance to win a $500 award
  • Featured in the digital showcase

Pitch a New Project Idea

Children helping plant a tree

You have an idea, but need support.

  • Funding from $500-$25,000
  • Priority for community-serving projects
  • Technical guidance available
  • Partnerships encouraged

Why Participate

By joining the Climate Resilient Landscapes Showcase, participants can:

  • Receive a $50 gift card (first 200 qualifying entries)
  • Win up to $500 in awards
  • Get professional photography
  • Be featured in a citywide showcase
  • Share your project with the community
  • Access up to $25,000 for new project ideas

Projects in higher climate-vulnerability areas may receive additional consideration. Check whether your project site is in a priority area

Who Can Participate

Almost anyone in Boulder.

  • Homeowners and renters
  • Schools and universities
  • Businesses and HOAs
  • Community groups and nonprofits
  • Landscape professionals

What kind of projects qualify?

Examples include:

  • Pollinator gardens
  • Native plant landscapes
  • Water-wise yards
  • Shade tree plantings
  • Community farms
  • School gardens
  • Rain gardens
  • Shared neighborhood green spaces
  • Fire-wise landscaping
  • Wildlife habitat projects

Key Dates

  • May 11: Entries open
  • July 10: Entry deadline
  • Late July–early August: Entry review by expert jury panel
  • Early August: Photography sessions for finalists
  • August 15: Finalists announced
  • August 22: Garden tour
  • September 12: Award show and final presentation

Frequently Asked Questions

A climate-resilient landscape is designed to withstand changing conditions, such as hotter temperatures, drought, heavier rain or wildfire risk, while supporting people, healthy soils, plants, water systems and ecosystems.

The showcase will celebrate the diversity of landscape projects in Boulder, from patio gardens of apartment buildings to restored prairies. Existing projects that opt into the competition will only be evaluated against projects of similar size and cost per square foot. Awards for proposed projects will be granted with priority to those located in areas of the city experiencing intersecting climate risk (heat, wildfire, flood) and socioeconomic vulnerability.

No. The showcase includes both existing landscape projects and proposed projects that have not yet been built.

No. Community members, property owners, organizations and professionals are all encouraged to participate.

As long as property owner gives consent, any property type is eligible. Projects will be divided into categories based on size (square feet) and cost (per square foot).

Priority for the proposed projects competition will be given to projects that serve the public and are being completed as collaborations between multiple partners. Additional priority will be given to sites that occur within areas of town that experience higher risks from climate change.

These include zones of high flood risk, areas with populations and city form that create vulnerability to heat and rising temperatures, and risks from wildfire. These risk areas are shown in this map of the City’s climate vulnerabilities based on analysis from the Climate Initiatives department that takes into account equity factors in our population as well as climate change models. For heat as an example our urban form (ie. Lack of trees and mature urban canopy) makes some areas of the city more likely to experience heat increases due to climate change, additionally areas of the city that have higher percentages of vulnerable populations (ie. People over 65 on fixed incomes, or children in low-income households) that have a lower capacity to be able to protect themselves from higher temperatures.