Pasadena’s Golden Arrow Awards Return After Year Off for Fire Relief

The Pasadena Beautiful Foundation’s Golden Arrow Awards are back, a year after the organization shelved its signature landscaping contest and sent the money to Eaton Fire relief instead.

Volunteer scouts have been walking Pasadena’s residential streets since March 2, searching the city’s nine designated areas for front-yard gardens worthy of the foundation’s highest recognition. The scouting runs through April 10. Twenty-seven winners — three from each area — will be chosen from a field of 54 semifinalists and honored at a ceremony May 14 at The Maxwell House on South Grand Avenue.

The awards, which date to approximately 1960, recognize homeowners whose front yards demonstrate curb appeal, harmony between house and garden, and what the foundation describes as clear evidence of pride of ownership and investment in the front yard, according to a PBF announcement. The overall appearance of the residence is also considered, though the primary focus is the front yard.

Chuck Livingstone, this year’s Golden Arrow Award Chairman, said the foundation welcomes nominations of one’s own home and garden or those of neighbors, according to a foundation statement.

Sara Edwards, PBF president, said front yards must be visible from the street — homes with yards covered by a hedge or otherwise not viewable are not eligible. Previous winners of the Golden Arrow within the last five years are not eligible to win the award again, Edwards said.

The foundation cancelled the 2025 Golden Arrow Awards after its board voted to redirect the program’s funds to Eaton Fire recovery. PBF donated $2,500 to the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.

“Given the tragic aftermath of the fires, we all felt that our money was better spent helping those who lost their homes,” Edwards said at the time.

Edwards said last year that the foundation hoped to resume the contest in 2026, calling it “our signature event.”

The Pasadena Beautiful Foundation was founded in 1960 and has planted more than 10,000 trees, contributed more than 15,000 volunteer hours, and presented more than 2,000 awards over its history, according to the organization.

Residents can nominate gardens by emailing contact@pasadenabeautiful.org or calling (626) 795-9704. Winners will be selected at the end of April and announced in May. The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. May 14 at The Maxwell House on South Grand Avenue. At the ceremony, winners will be invited to discuss their garden and house and the story of what they did to create a house and garden worthy of winning the Golden Arrow. [CORRECTED — restored “and house” and full source language “to create a house and garden worthy of winning the Golden Arrow”] Winners will receive a certificate and a golden arrow sign to display on their property. More information is available at pasadenabeautiful.org.

Edwards has said the program honors both sustainability in landscaping and natural beauty.