Congratulations to all the Best Development Award honorees who were recognized at a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol on Jan. 21, 2016. More than 75 people were in attendance.

A common theme heard from recipients was the community effort that went into realizing projects, and how much everyone appreciated that 1000 Friends of Iowa recognized not only the larger projects seen in some of the bigger cities, but small town projects as well. Our goal for the Best Development Awards is to inspire people in any sized city to make sustainable choices to improve quality of life in their communities and around the state.

We would also like to thank this year’s jurors, Ryan Peterson, president of Impact7G; Liz Christiansen, director of the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability; Jeff Geerts, special projects manager with the Community Development Division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority; and Maureen Collins-Williams, an Iowa public sector professional.

Below are photos from the day’s event at the Capitol. Photos by Maharry Photography.