The premier awards program for brownfields redevelopment is coming to Brownfields 2025 in
Chicago, IL August 5-8, 2025.

The awards reflect the progression of brownfield redevelopment over the past 20+ years by recognizing extraordinary practitioners and projects. Today, brownfields redevelopment is an established practice area with expertise and organizations from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors across the country.  The awards recognize exemplary practitioners and projects that are creating jobs, economic opportunity, and stronger communities.

Nominations will close on Wednesday, April 30th, 11:59pm ET. All winners will be notified in June 2025 and recognized at Brownfields 2025 in Chicago, IL August 5-8, 2025.

Celebrate and learn more about winners of the 2023 Phoenix Awards and 2022 Phoenix Awards!

PROJECT AWARDS

The Project Awards recognize exemplary projects.  Winners receive an award and recognition at the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference.
Scoring criteria is available in the Phoenix Awards Nomination Guide.

Grand Prize

1 Award

Grand Prize

1 Award

Regional Awards

10 Awards, 1 per EPA Region

Regional Awards

10 Awards, 1 per EPA Region

PEOPLE AWARDS

The People Awards recognize the people behind the projects.  Winners receive an award and recognition at the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference. Scoring will be based on how closely a nominee reflects the award description. Click below to read full descriptions by category.

The Linda Garczynski person of the year award recognizes an outstanding brownfield leader who recently championed brownfield redevelopment to promote and enhance significant community revitalization. Nominees come from the public, private, nonprofit, or community-based sectors. They display significant leadership in advancing the concepts, practices, and application of community renewal through brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Nominations should describe the significant community impacts realized due to the leadership of the nominee.

The Browndbreaker is someone who has evolved the understanding and practice of brownfield redevelopment by retooling the goals, process, and outcomes of a community brownfields project to promote community revitalization, and championed new practices and game changing policies. Areas of activity can include, but are not limited to, stakeholder engagement, assessment and remediation, planning, policy, finance, and law. Nominees should demonstrate leadership in making a visible difference to an impactful community brownfields project and sharpening our practice.

This award recognizes brownfield practitioners at the local level (state/regional/county/city) whose dedication and leadership has elevated our practice and made brownfields fundamental to how their communities evolve. The award goes to a public, private, or nonprofit leader who organized local communities, led projects, or otherwise demonstrated commitment to brownfield redevelopment.

This award celebrates an outstanding leader for his or her service to brownfields communities over the course of a career (or most of one) elevating brownfield redevelopment. Coming from the public, private, or nonprofit sectors, the recipient is someone who has forever changed the way we see and engage in brownfield redevelopment. This award is named in honor of the late Charlie Bartsch, who not only coined the term “brownfield”, but mentored many of us in the brownfield community and left his imprint on our practice forever. Nominations must include a description of the nominee’s significant achievements over the course of his or her career and the impacts he or she provided the national brownfields community.