Pink Flamingo

Brian Patterson and Jack Zunino put their heads together in 1990 to define a year-end celebration for local landscape architecture professionals.

At the time, ASLA members in Nevada belonged to a sub-section of the California ASLA chapter. Instead of coming up with a dignified theme, Brian decided to go with the tackiest representation of the profession he could think of, a pink flamingo.

Brian and Jack didn’t realize that plastic pink flamingos would cost about $10 each, so in order to decorate a room and make a statement, a lot of pink flamingos would be needed. The flock was built over time, each year 10 to 20 plastic flamingos were purchased. The goal was to have enough of the plastic birds to fill a meeting room at the Flamingo Hilton at some point.

Vendors and suppliers joined in on the fun and would donate pink flamingo items to be raffled at the annual banquet. ASLA chapter members started adding accessories to many of the birds, including top hats. Once the chapter was large enough to have a Nevada awards event, the Pink Flamingo Banquet was combined with the annual awards event.

Awards

Design and planning excellence is acknowledged through the Annual Landscape Architecture Awards. Awards are given under a number of categories, with one project taking the Project of the Year prize.

Design and planning categories are as follows

Commercial, retail, office or mixed use design

Institutional design

Multi-family residential design

Professional landscape analysis and planning

Park design

Resort design

Single-family residential design

Student design work

Trail design

Un-built design

Acknowledgments

Contributions to the chapter are acknowledged through the President’s Award and Trustee’s Award. Contributions from non-chapter members for management and conservancy of natural resources and/or public landscapes in Nevada are acknowledged through the Award of Honor.

The awards program is intended to promote professional excellence and highlight the aesthetic and environmental benefits of the built landscape to the public.

2025 Design Awards

Saira Gonzalez-Whittford

Achuapa Nicaragua
Merit Award
Carlos Holguin

Perris Hill Park Reimagined: Healing the Homeless and Crime Crisis for a Healthier City
Merit Award
Dig Studio

Rancho San Rafael Regional Park MP Update and Truckee River Vision Plan
Merit Award & Project of the Year
Studio One Eleven

Reno Aces Ball Park
Merit Award
Dawn Castro

Reviving Bombay Beach
Honor Award
David Teloma

Interlude
Pink Flamingo Scholarship
Kamil Calmese

Coterie Center
Pink Flamingo Scholarship
Christian Barraza

The Living Dam
Pink Flamingo Scholarship
David Hewitt

President’s Award
Melinda Gustin

Silver State Award
Stephanie Schlobohm

Pink Flamingo Award