Keep Blount Beautiful and the Blount County Council of Garden Clubs are proud to announce the 22nd year of the BRAVO! Awards. BRAVO! Awards praise local businesses for their landscaping and beautification efforts. The landscape must be maintained year-round. Attractive businesses reflect a positive image to Blount County citizens and visitors. Keep Blount Beautiful will also recognize local businesses that have creatively re-used and remodeled an existing building in Blount County.

They are also accepting nominations for the Dee Lidvall Sustainability Stewardship Award. Dee Lidvall was a former Keep Blount Beautiful board member and a member of the Alcoa Garden Club. Mrs. Lidvall initiated the Keep Blount Beautiful BRAVO! Awards and facilitated the program for 19 years. She passed away in March 2013. In her honor this award will recognize a business, organization or school that goes above and beyond outdoor beautification. The recipient of this award will incorporate greening inside the building as well as outside. Some examples; recycling, automatic off light switches, reusable cups/mugs instead of styrofoam or paper, incorporate “green” practices within the daily life of the business and more.

Residents may submit nominations online at Keep Blount Beautiful’s website, www.keepblountbeautiful.org as well as by phoning the office, 681-4809. The deadline for submitting a nomination is 5 p.m. Friday, May 8, 2015. Please be prepared to give the name and address of the business; as well as why they are being nominated.

Judging for the awards will be the week of May 11, 2015. An anonymous panel of judges representing Blount County Garden Clubs will visit each nominated business. Many of the judges have studied horticulture and landscape design. Among the criteria for the awards will be cleanliness, originality of landscaping, environmental impact and visual effect.

Winners will be announced at a luncheon on June 5, 2015 at Barley’s Maryville. Award recipients will receive a plaque for permanent display inside the office and outdoor signs will designate the prize-winning beautification properties for one year.

Keep Blount Beautiful is an award winning 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization located in the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, established in 1992. Their mission is to improve our community by encouraging litter prevention, waste reduction, and beautification. For more information visit www.keepblountbeautiful.org.