2026 RTP Achievement Awards Nomination

Recreational Trails Program Achievement Awards

2026 Nomination Form

Dear Trail Enthusiast:

The Coalition for Recreational Trails is excited to request nominations for its 2026 achievement awards which will recognize outstanding trail projects funded by the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). CRT will host an awards ceremony honoring the winners on June 25, 2026. Special guests, including Members of Congress will be invited to participate.

For more information about CRT visit https://www.americantrails.org/crt

Award winners will be selected from projects nominated by public agencies, trail administrators or other project sponsors. Projects must be completed in order to receive an award. In addition, projects completed before 2020 are ineligible. Project award categories include:
- Construction and Design
- Maintenance and Rehabilitation
- Public-Private Partnerships and Access to Public Lands
- Community Linkage
- Education and Communication
- Accessibility Enhancement
- Multiple-Use Management and “Corridor Sharing”
- Use of Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach
- Engaging Public-Sector Partners
- Enhancement of Federal Lands
We invite you to nominate an outstanding project and/or encourage the sponsor(s) of an excellent project in your state to submit a nomination. We also again encourage those making nominations to solicit support from their Members of Congress to help grow awareness of excellent RTP-funded projects and the program itself.

Deadline for nominations is May 20, 2026.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact the Coalition’s Awards Committee Chairman Duane Taylor, at coalitionforrectrails@gmail.com.

Winners should be notified May 26, 2026.

Information on each winning project will be featured on the website of American Trails. In addition, it is important to note that photos and other materials included as part of the nominations are often used to highlight RTP projects in the Federal Highway Administration Annual Report, CRT’s Facebook page, and in the online RTP Database image gallery. As a result, simply nominating your project may result in increased exposure for your project!

We hope you will join us in this important effort to recognize the significant contributions to trail-related recreation that the Recreational Trails Program is supporting all across the country.

Sincerely,

The Coalition for Recreational Trails
Project Name*
State(s) Involved*
County(ies) Involved*
Congressional District(s) Involved*
CompleteNearly CompleteIncompleteOther
RTP Funding Amount *
Do not include $ symbol or comma separator and only enter whole dollar amounts
RTP Funding Year*
Maintenance and Rehabilitation – maintaining, repairing damage to, or upgrading the quality of a trail to improve the trail experience, increase user safety, and/or enhance protection of the environment, including wildlife.Construction and Design – planning and building a trail, portions of a trail (e.g., a bridge), or trail-related facilities (e.g., a trailhead, shelter, etc.).Public-Private Partnerships and Access to/Use of Public Lands – facilitating and/or encouraging cost-effective partnerships between public and private entities, especially to increase access to and use of federal, state and local public lands, including parks, forests and wildlife refuges.Community Linkage – providing and/or enhancing opportunities for trail-based recreation and transportation within or near local communities.Education and Communication – utilizing a variety of established and/or technologically innovative communications tools (e.g., web sites, social media and peer-to-peer information sharing) to increase environmental awareness, promote trail-related safety, encourage trail-related outdoor recreation and, overall, enhance trail use and enjoyment.Multiple-Use Management and Corridor Sharing – facilitating and/or encouraging the use of a trail corridor by more than one type of trail enthusiast, particularly those enthusiasts that do not ordinarily share trails or trail-related facilities.Accessibility Enhancement – facilitating and/or encouraging increased access to trail-related recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.Youth Conservation/Service Corps and Community Outreach – making effective use of the services and skills of qualified youth conservation or service corps and other community organizations as project partners and supporters.Engaging Public-Sector Partners – engaging and garnering the support of public-sector officials including local, state and federal elected officials or agency personnel for RTP-funded projects or the overall continuation/advancement of the RTP.Enhancement of Federal Lands – planning and building a trail or maintaining and rehabilitating a trail on federally managed lands to enhance the public use and enjoyment of those lands.
Contact information for Project Sponsor
Name:*

First NameLast Name
Phone Number:

Area CodePhone Number
E-mail Address:*
Address:

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Contact information for person submitting nomination (if different from project sponsor)
Name:

First NameLast Name
Phone Number:

Area CodePhone Number
E-mail Address:
example@example.com
Address:

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Project Description

Please describe the project and its accomplishments. Please make every effort to explain how the project fits into each award category(ies) for which you wish the project to be considered. If you do not specifically explain how the project meets the category criteria, it may not be considered for an award in that category.

Please mention the various types of activities and trail uses supported by the project. Show the project’s other benefits – like for the community or the environment. Examples of benefits include economic impact, youth involvement, accessibility, safety, livable communities, health and fitness, habitat conservation, active transportation, special events like fundraisers, educational opportunities or senior-citizen walks.

Show how the project is supported and maintained. Examples include funds, equipment and labor provided by community businesses and organizations and by volunteers. If there is more information available online, please provide a link to the website(s). If available, include information about amounts and sources of matching funding.
Project Description*
Reaching out to U.S. Senators and Representatives in support of your RTP project

It is important that Members of Congress know about the outstanding RTP-supported projects in their districts/states. Please forward your nomination materials to the Members who represent the district and state where the project is located. Include a short message (sample draft below) about yourself and your organization noting that the nomination materials were prepared for the annual Coalition for Recreational Trails Achievement Awards and asking that the Member provide a letter of support for the nomination.

If you are not sure who the correct U.S. Representative is, please visit the following website to search by zip code:

http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep?ZIP=

To find your state’s U.S. Senators visit:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

You may need to contact the Member’s office by phone to ask for the appropriate e-mail address to send the materials. Since the RTP is funded through transportation reauthorization legislation, you may ask for the Legislative Assistant that handles transportation issues.

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Sample Message:

Dear (Senator/Representative) last name:

Please find attached the nomination materials for an outstanding project that utilized Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds in your (State/District). These materials have been prepared by (insert title, club or agency affiliation) because (insert project name) has proven to be a huge success and, as a result, we have nominated the project for an annual Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) achievement award for outstanding RTP projects. Please join us in supporting this project by sending a letter supporting the nomination to CRT.

(Provide information and background about your specific project)

Thank you for taking a look at the nomination materials. A letter of support for (insert project name) can be sent to: Duane Taylor, Coalition for Recreational Trails, via email to coalitionforrectrails@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

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SUPPORTING MATERIALS*

Upload File(s)
Please provide as complete an application package as possible that illustrates why this project should be recognized. Please include at least three high-resolution photographs (at least 1 MB size in jpg, tif or png format), with captions if possible, as well as letters of support from Congressional leadership, letters of support from partner organizations and agencies, or brochures and other promotional materials, if available. Additional photographs that show the benefits and appeal of your project are also welcome. Cancelof
Permission for Use of Photography*
Please indicate your acceptance by putting your name, organization (if appropriate), and the date in the field above. *IMPORTANT* In submitting your nomination, you are granting permission to use the photographs or other supporting materials provided to the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) as part of the Annual Achievement Award nominations to promote the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Uses may include, but are not limited to the following purposes: promoting the RTP projects in the RTP Database, Image Library, and websites; in the RTP Annual Report; in press releases; or for educational purposes, such as, in presentations. Credit will be provided to the photographer when identification of the photographer is provided. You retain all other rights to your photos, and any requests for additional non-commercial uses or for commercial use will be provided to you for approval or not. Please let us know if you do not want your photos used to promote the RTP. Your help in documenting the benefits of the Recreational Trails Program is greatly appreciated.
Please verify that you are human*
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Recreational Trails Program Achievement Awards

2026 Nomination Form

Contact information for Project Sponsor

Contact information for person submitting nomination (if different from project sponsor)

Project Description

Reaching out to U.S. Senators and Representatives in support of your RTP project