Awards for Municipalities – How to apply

Award categories

Award categories are open to all eligible municipalities, with the exception of the Smaller Municipalities category which is restricted to municipalities with a population under 5,000.

Building Economic Strength

Award will be given for an innovative initiative that builds the economic capacity and/or resiliency of the community and/or improves the attractiveness of the community to businesses, investors, and visitors.

Enhancing Community Safety

Award will be given for an innovative initiative that engages the community to address a safety issue. This could involve crime prevention, infrastructure enhancements (for example: lighting, accessibility, traffic calming measures) and community services initiatives.

Partnership

Award will be given for an innovative initiative involving a local or regional partnership that achieves results that could not have otherwise been accomplished by the municipality alone. This could involve cooperation, coordination and collaboration with other municipalities, businesses, Indigenous communities, non-profit organizations, community groups, and other orders of government to achieve a specific outcome.

Red Tape Reduction

Award will be given for an innovative initiative that improves a municipal program or service by saving time, money, and resources, or impacts municipal operations by reducing regulatory, policy, or process requirements.

Service Delivery Enhancement

Award will be given for an innovative initiative that improves, or presents a new approach to, how a municipality can deliver a program or service.

Smaller Municipalities

Award will be given for a municipal initiative that demonstrates leadership, resourcefulness or innovation, or both, to better the community.

Submission guidelines

• The program recognizes initiatives that demonstrate a first-time or unique use of an idea in Alberta. The sponsorship and the use of a purchased product or service are not eligible for submission.
• A municipality may submit a maximum of 2 initiatives per award year. Improvement districts and Special Areas are not eligible for the Minister’s Awards.
• An initiative may be submitted to only one category per award year.
• Submissions must demonstrate that the initiative has been in place long enough to produce verifiable results.
• Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of municipal representatives which will recommend award winners to the Minister.
• Completed submission forms are only accepted electronically and can be sent by email to [email protected]
• The submitting municipality agrees to the publication of information related to their initiative by the Government of Alberta, including any documents, photos and photos of the recipients with their awards.

Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2023.

How to apply

Use the form below to submit an initiative.

• 2023 submission form for municipalities (DOCX, 56 KB)

Completed municipal submission forms can be emailed to [email protected].

Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of representatives in either the municipal or public libraries field, which will recommend award winners to the minister. The 2023 award recipients will be announced in early fall 2023.

See recent and past award recipients.

Contact

For questions about the Minister’s Awards for Municipal and Public Library Excellence program:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)

Municipality inquiries:
Phone: 780-427-2225
Email: [email protected]

Library Board inquiries:
Phone: 780-427-4871
Email: [email protected]