This award goes to an organization for a winning campaign, in the last year, which has had the biggest impact on walking and biking. Their victory will dramatically increase active transportation in their state/ community or will dramatically shift the way that walking and biking are considered.

2015: Bike East Bay for Measure BB

In 2014, Bike East Bay scored the biggest financial win the biking and walking movement has ever seen. Bike East Bay successfully campaigned to pass Alameda County's monumental transportation Measure BB in the November 2014 election, extending an existing half-cent sales tax to a full cent for the next 30 years. Bike East Bay threw its support behind the measure’s passage after petitioning to significantly increase the percentage of this funding going toward biking and walking projects and programs. The passage of Measure BB, with the changes to the funding split, has resulted in a four-fold increase in the amount of bike and pedestrian funding available for the county, translating into approximately $1 billion for bike improvements alone over the next three decades. Measure BB will not only facilitate a sustainable transportation future for Alameda County, but it also sets the standard for neighboring Contra Costa County's similar sales tax Measure J in 2016, as well as for other states and counties across the country.

2014: Transportation Alternatives for Citi Bike

Their behind-the-scenes work might not have made major headlines, but Transportation Alternatives’ research, lobbying, and grassroots organizing was integral to the launch of the United States’ largest bike share system. The highly sophisticated New York City advocacy organization worked for years on the successful campaign, which came to fruition in 2013 after a series of false starts and software troubles.

After a bumpy start, Citi Bike has stolen New Yorkers’ hearts. The system’s presence in trendsetting New York has also made bicycling a regular part of the cultural conversation: “bike share blue” was the most popular color on the runway during 2013 Fashion Week, a Citi Bike rack graced a cover of The New Yorker, and the bikes made their small-screen debut in a new Comedy Central show.

Thanks to Transportation Alternatives’ advocacy, other cities have a clear model for bringing bike share to the public transport network and empowering city residents to bike for transportation.

2013: Georgia Bikes! for Georgia's Complete Streets Policy

While many outsiders may look at the South as a region that has historically not been the most bike friendly, advocates across the region are working to change that. Nowhere was this more evident than in Georgia, where leaders from local and state biking and walking advocacy organizations worked with the state DOT to pass a Complete Streets Design Policy.

The push was led by Georgia Bikes!, who caught the attention of DOT officials during a Ride to the Capitol when the crowd started chanting “Complete the Streets!”. While DOT officials thought they already had a great policy in place, the raucous advocates let them know there was more to be done, which opened up further conversations. After countless meetings and hours of advocacy, Georgia DOT adopted a policy on September 20, 2012 that will ensure that wherever possible, road designs will properly balance the needs of all modes of transportation. And as a bonus first in the nation, Georgia became the first state to adopt the new NACTO Guide for Bikeway Facilities! As Georgia Bikes said in their blog post celebrating the new policy, “Can we get an AMEN!?”

2012: Bike Delaware for Bikeable Walkable Delaware

Despite lean economic times, Bike Delaware did the nearly unthinkable in 2011 -- advocated for and won $5 million in new, dedicated state dollars for biking and walking projects and programs. With a tiny budget, the advocacy organization pioneered new ground in statewide bike-ped advocacy with its "Bikeable, Walkable Delaware" campaign, not only securing critical funding, but also cultivating key relationships at the state capitol and working with the Delaware Department of Transportation on the state's first State Trails and Pathways Plan.

2011: League of Michigan Bicyclists for Michigan Complete Streets

At the start of 2010, Michigan had just one local complete streets ordinance. By the end of the year, there were more than 20 communities with complete streets policies and the Governor had signed a new statewide complete streets law.

That incredible and rapid transformation was sparked and spurred by advocates from the League of Michigan Bicyclists, who helped to create a powerful Michigan Complete Streets Coalition with more than 100 diverse member organizations. That powerful, unified voice led to the passage of a statewide complete streets bill, the adoption of policies in a number of communities and a new priority within the state Department of Transportation to plan streets that safely accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. Thanks in large part to this Winning Campaign, the state that spent the last century focused on all things automotive is now leading the way in the Great Lakes region.

2010:Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland for the Bikes on Broadway Campaign

Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland (WOBO) was honored with the 2010 Winning Campaign Award for its Bike Broadway campaign. With no safe, convenient, quick way for bicyclists to get downtown to or from North Oakland, WOBO launched a campaign to get bike lanes on Broadway, Franklin and Webster Streets. The campaign goal was to create a contiguous north-south bike route from Downtown to Northern Oakland.

WOBO’s efforts led to over 80 small business owners along the Broadway/ Franklin/ Webster corridor endorsing the campaign with letters of support, nearly 200 Oakland residents signing a petition of support for the campaign, and the collection of bike trip data on Broadway. WOBO is celebrating a victory with the planned installation of Bike lanes on Franklin and Webster streets this summer. The Bike Broadway campaign is shifting the way that biking and walking are considered in Oakland.

2009: Livable City for Sunday Streets

Livable City was being honored with the 2009 Winning Campaign Award for its work on the campaign to bring Sunday Streets to San Francisco. Livable City worked to help convince Mayor Newson to champion the two pilot events which each drew roughly 10,000 residents to the 8-mile car-free route.