Do you know someone who goes above and beyond to improve the appearance of their community? Time is running out to submit nominations for the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Everyday Hero Awards. Nominations to recognize the individuals and groups working to advance the mission of Keep Louisiana Beautiful are due by September 30, 2026.
Selected recipients will be honored statewide at the Everyday Hero Awards luncheon on December 9, 2026. This special recognition event will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge in conjunction with the annual Keep Louisiana Beautiful State Conference.
“Our state is blessed with incredible natural beauty, but it takes dedicated citizens to keep it that way,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The Everyday Hero Awards provide an opportunity to shine a spotlight the outstanding people and organizations who work tirelessly to keep our Sportsman’s Paradise beautiful. If you know someone making a real difference in your community, please do not let this deadline pass without nominating them.”
Those eligible for nomination include nonprofits, Keep Louisiana Beautiful Affiliate organizations, businesses, professional groups, governmental agencies, civic and community organizations, schools, churches, public servants, and individual citizens.
Each year, Keep Louisiana Beautiful recognizes those who take the initiative to keep our communities litter free and beautiful. These businesses, organizations, and citizens are moving Louisiana toward a more sustainable future through their commendable environmentally conscious efforts.
Anyone may submit a nomination, and multiple nominations may be submitted by the same individual. A separate nomination form should be submitted for each person or group nominated.
The deadline for submitting a nomination is September 30, 2026. The online nomination form is available on the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Everyday Hero Awards webpage.
Everyday Hero Award Categories:
Alice Foster Award: This is the most prestigious Everyday Hero award named in honor of our state’s former First Lady, Alice Foster, who played a significant role in establishing the Keep Louisiana Beautiful organization for a cleaner, greener Louisiana. The Alice Foster Award is presented to an individual who embodies the mission of Keep Louisiana Beautiful through their advocacy and leadership, and whose life’s work has left a legacy in their community. They have contributed meaningfully to the Keep Louisiana Beautiful organization and/or network and have led others to support the mission work of KLB.
Community Improvement Award: The Community Improvement Award recognizes a project, program, campaign, or initiative in alignment with the mission and work of Keep Louisiana Beautiful. The effort should demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and measurable community improvement. Eligible for nomination are for-profit and non-profit organizations, Keep Louisiana Beautiful Affiliates, schools, and civic groups. The award will recognize the specific initiative or project rather than the organization.
Let Louisiana Shine Volunteer Award: The Let Louisiana Shine Award, named in celebration of Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s statewide litter prevention campaign, is presented to a passionate volunteer who has dedicated their time and energy to community enhancement efforts. They may contribute by collaborating with community organizations and stakeholders to clean up litter, beautify spaces, and contribute to an improved quality of life for their fellow residents.
Leaders Against Litter Award: The Leaders Against Litter Award recognizes individuals in public service who go above and beyond the call of duty to support Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s mission to clean up and beautify our Sportsman’s Paradise. The recipient of this award inspires and empowers others to follow their lead and work towards achieving a cleaner, greener Louisiana. To be eligible, an individual must work in public service: police officer, firefighter, educator, librarian, government employee, elected official, etc.
Rocksey’s Young Leadership Award (Grades K-12): Named for Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s beloved mascot, Rocksey the Raccoon, this award is presented to a student or student group in grades K-12 exemplifying environmental stewardship. They are passionate about keeping their community clean and beautiful and they recognize it is every citizen’s responsibility to protect the environment. Their leadership in and outside of the classroom encourages their peers to reduce waste, recycle, and pick up litter when they see it.
Collegiate Environmental Steward Award: The Collegiate Environmental Steward Award is presented to a college student or student group going above and beyond to make their campus community clean, sustainable, and beautiful. Their campus involvement and leadership have led to measurable change and inspired others to volunteer. The recipient embodies vision, leadership, determination, and collaboration.
Outstanding Community Affiliate Award: The Outstanding Community Affiliate Award is presented to a certified Keep Louisiana Beautiful Community Affiliate that has made significant strides in the past year in making their community a cleaner, greener place to live. The recipient organization demonstrates strength in leadership by engaging key stakeholders and volunteers in collaborative initiatives with a measurable impact. The community served by the Affiliate is a better place to live thanks to the ongoing efforts of the organization.
Outstanding University Affiliate Award: The Outstanding University Affiliate Award is presented to a certified Keep Louisiana Beautiful University Affiliate that has demonstrated strong leadership and a growing presence in their campus community. The efforts of the Affiliate have resulted in visible and measurable changes, and have influenced students, faculty, and staff to reduce waste, prevent litter, and improve the appearance of their campus.
Clean Biz Leadership Award: The Clean Biz Leadership Award is granted to an organization that has demonstrated dedication to Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s mission and has adopted operational practices to support a cleaner, greener community. The organization may have implemented policies and procedures for recycling, waste reduction, and litter prevention. The business may also support community improvement through sponsorship, volunteerism, programming, and other relevant initiatives. Eligible are for-profit and non-profit organizations of any size, and the award will recognize the organization. Clean Biz Partnership participation is encouraged but not required for consideration.
Litter Enforcement Award: The Litter Enforcement Award recognizes law enforcement officers who actively work to stop littering in their community. They go above and beyond to educate the public about the negative impacts of litter, and they work to bring justice to those who break the law by littering or dumping illegally. Eligible for this award are police officers, LDWF agents, justices of the peace, constables, judges, park rangers, and code enforcement officers.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is a state program under the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Department of Culture, Recreation, & Tourism promoting personal, corporate, and community responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana. KLB supports local communities through programs and resources for litter education, prevention, removal, enforcement, beautification, recycling, waste reduction, and sustainability initiatives. KLB is affiliated with the national organization, Keep America Beautiful, and is supported by a robust statewide network of Community Affiliates and University Affiliates. Learn more at KeepLouisianaBeautiful.org.