Eligibility criteria
The Green Flag Award® welcomes parks/green spaces to apply for the following awards:
Eight steps
To be eligible for a Green Flag Award®, sites must be freely accessible to the public and perform well against the following eight criteria:
• A welcoming place
• Healthy, safe and secure
• Clean and well maintained
• Sustainability
• Conservation and heritage
• Community involvement
• Marketing
• Management
Parks/green spaces
The Green Flag Award® is open to any freely accessible park or green space. This can include:
• Town Parks
• Country Parks
• Formal Gardens
• Nature Reserves
• Local Nature Reserves (LNR)
• Cemeteries and Crematoria
• Water Parks
• Open Spaces
• Millennium Greens
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Woodlands
• Allotments
Where are you based?
The Green Flag Award® scheme is open to entries from parks/green spaces in England and Wales.
The programme is currently being piloted in Scotland, Northern Ireland and The Netherlands and applications are also welcomed from these countries, however a different fee structure applies.
Application process
Applications must be made by the organisation that manages the park/green space. If you are a community group or individual who wishes to recommend a park/green space for entry to the scheme, you can nominate a site by clicking here.
The Green Flag Award® is given on an annual basis, and winners are obliged to display their winning flag and certificate in a prominent position throughout the year.
After the award period ends, sites must re-apply to retain the award. Please note that a park or green space must maintain and improve on previous standards to be guaranteed a subsequent award.