Rose Parade awards announced: San Diego Zoo snags top honor
The Rose Parade’s 2025 Sweepstakes Award, marking the most beautiful entry, was presented to the San Diego Zoo early Wednesday.
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses announced the 23 floats awarded officialhonors, recognizing excellence in a variety of categories. The winners, alphabetically) were:
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
(San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
–Sweepstakes (Most beautiful entry, encompassing float design, floral presentation): San Diego Zoo (builder: AES)
(Image courtesy Tournament of Roses)
–Americana (Most outstanding depiction of national treasures and traditions): Elks U.S.A (PHX)
A rendering of Burbank’s “Having A-Lava Fun!” 2025 Rose Parade float. (Courtesy, Tournament of Roses)
–Animation (Most outstanding use of animation): City of Burbank (Self built)
Logan Chung of El Monte applies glue to a squirrel’s nut for the “Boys and Girls Clubs” float on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Hundreds of volunteers filled a warehouse near the Rose Bowl to apply flower petals and seeds to floats for the 136th annual Rose Parade which will take place on January 1st in Pasadena, CA. Every inch of the exposed surface of floats must be covered with flowers or other natural materials which can include bark, seed, and leaves. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
–Bob Hope Humor (Most whimsical and amusing float) Boys & Girls Club (AES)
The drone of the self-built La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Rover Rendezvous float rises during a mechanical check in La Canada Flintridge on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
–Crown City Innovator (Most outstanding use of imagination, innovation and technology): La Canada Flintridge (Self built)
A rendering of Explore Louisiana’s “Louisiana Saturday Night” 2025 Rose Parade float. (Courtesy, Tournament of Roses)
–Director (Most outstanding artistic design and use of floral and non-floral materials: Explore Louisiana (AES)
A ceremony to put the final touches on organ donor David Compton’s floragraph for the Donate Life 2025 Rose Parade float was held at MemorialCare Long Beach on Friday, Dec. 20. Rev. Joshua Yee, manager of the spiritual care department at Long Beach Medical Center, gave a few words. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
–Extraordinaire (Most extraordinary float) One Legacy Donate Life (AES)
–Fantasy (Most outstanding display of fantasy and imagination): City of South Pasadena (Self built)
–Founder (Most outstanding float built and decorated by volunteers from a community or organization): Downey Rose Float Assoc. (Self built)
An artist’s rendering shows the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association’s float. (Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses)
–Golden State (Most outstanding depiction of life in California): Sierra Madre Rose Float Assoc. (Self built)
Love 2 Yeu, a global youth initiative based in Los Angeles, will participate in the Rose Parade for the first time Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. Its float will honor Vietnamese American immigrants and Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. (Courtesy of Love 2 Yeu)
–Grand Marshal (Most outstanding creative concept and float design): Love 2 Yeu (AES)
Construction on the float. (Courtesy of Coding for Veterans).
–International (Most outstanding float from outside the United States): Coding For Veterans (PHX)
–Isabella Coleman (Most outstanding presentation of color and color harmony through floral design): City of Hope (PHX)
(Image courtesy Tournament of Roses)
–Judges (Most outstanding float design and dramatic impact): The UPS Store, Inc. (AES)
The ear has it. Cecile Zimmermann of Pasadena tidies the coconut husk and corn silk covering Presto the Beaver, who holds a secret on the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Parade float, “Nessie’s Lakeside Laughs.” Photo: Anissa Rivera
–Leishman Public Spirit (Most outstanding floral presentation from a non-commercial participant): Cal Poly Universities (Self built)
(Image courtesy Tournament of Roses)
–Mayor (Most outstanding float from a participating city): City of Alhambra (PHX)
Volunteers apply Black Onion Seeds to make the pants for Elvis on the “Visit Mississippi” float on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Hundreds of volunteers were busy applying flower petals and seeds to floats for the 136th annual Rose Parade which will take place on January 1st in Pasadena, CA. Every inch of the exposed surface of floats must be covered with flowers or other natural materials which can include bark, seed, and leaves. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
–Past President (Most outstanding innovation in the use of floral and non-floral materials): Visit Mississippi (AES)
Mikkaela Arceo, 17, of Long Beach coats the wing of a butterfly that will sit on the Western Asset float at Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
–President (Most outstanding use and presentation of flowers): Western Asset (PHX)
The Torrance Rose Float Association’s float for the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade, “What a Beautiful Day,” will get its final touches after Christmas. (Design rendering by Artistic Entertainment Services)
–Princess (Most outstanding floral presentation among entries 35 feet and under in length) City of Torrance (AES)
–Queen (Most outstanding presentation of roses): Shriners Children’s (PHX)
Allen Xu, 16, left, and Andrew Rios, 17, Key Club members from St. John Bosco High School decorate the Trader Joes float at Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
–Showmanship (Most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment): Trader Joe’s (PHX)
A rendering of Pasadena Humane’s 2025 Rose Parade float, Welcome Home. (Float rendering is courtesy of Tournament of Roses)
–Theme (Most outstanding presentation of the Rose Parade Theme): Pasadena Humane/Hill’s Pet Nutrition (AES)
(Image courtesy Tournament of Roses)
–Tournament Volunteer (Most outstanding floral presentation of the Rose Parade Theme among floats 35 feet and under in length): Rotary (PHX)
(Image courtesy Tournament of Roses)
–Wrigley Legacy: (Most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design and entertainment): Kaiser Permanente (PHX)
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