To promote green public spaces, the Association for Green Public Spaces [Vereniging voor Openbaar Groen – VVOG] has had the animation project Groene Lente since 1979. In cooperation with VLAM, the VVOG is organising a friendly competition in which a spotlight is placed on the high-quality and exemplary green and decorating with flowers projects in Flanders which are rewarded. Meaningful, original and expertly organised projects are aimed for.

VVVOG
The VVOG gathers the Flemish public space departments together and offers extensive services with regard to public spaces to the member municipalities. The VVOG provides technical assistance by making a specialised library and documentation centre available, by issuing the bi-monthly magazine ‘Groencontact’, by providing personalised technical advice and by organising training courses, study days and the ‘Groene Lente’ competition.

The ‘Groene Lente’ competition
Every year one or more topics are worked on. Striking topics in the past have been ‘millennium trees’ and ‘green roundabouts’, whilst the topic of ‘decorating with flowers’ returns every year.
In a special competition brochure, the competition criteria are clarified and all the Flemish local authorities are called on to participate in the animation project. Entries are invited by the summer, after which the project entries are assessed by the expert jury and if necessary visited. The finals are held in the autumn, in which the best projects are presented to the general public, followed by the solemn proclamation and award ceremony. The valuable prizes are donated by the VLAM and can be spent within the green sector.

Green contact
The course of the competition is reported on in the magazine Green contact [Groencontact]. In this way not only all the local authorities, but also professionals and press are kept informed of the course of the competition. After the finals, a series of articles will be published about ‘Groene Lente’ in which the laureate projects are described in detail.

Entente Florale
Other organisations are also closely following the campaign ‘Groene Lente’. A candidate is selected from the best projects of the ‘Groene Lente’ campaign to participate in the European competition ‘Entente Florale’. This competition aims to urge European cities or municipalities to further expand green public spaces, parks and flower decorating projects in an ecological and environmentally-friendly way. Every year, one municipality and one city per country compete for a bronze, silver or gold medal.