The first few months of a new year often involves an evaluation of what happened the year before. Award ceremonies and "best of" rankings make headlines to recognize leaders across all industries, and green (or sustainable, or environmentally friendly) is a category that is appearing more and more.

SustainLane has ranked the top 50 sustainable cities of 2006, and also has named the top 5 Cleantech cities in the US.

Green architect firm and think-tank, organicARCHITECT has picked 16 leaders for the organicAWARDS in the design industry who have adopted green innovation in their businesses or products.

Plenty Magazine recently featured the Plenty 20, twenty companies ranging in size from small start-up to Fortune 500 who are "pushing the ecological envelope." There's also the UK based Green Awards, an entry based award featuring a series of "best of" green marketing categories, which are all sponsored by various eco-friendly companies.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has awards for green power purchasers, the Green Power Leadership Awards, presented in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference.

Awards give prestige and a sense of accomplishment and recognition within industries. They also instill a sense of pride and can provide added value for a company's clients. Awards, especially in the green sphere, can also serve to drive competitors to try a little harder the next year in furthering green innovation in the marketplace.