A version of this post was originally published by Maria Fernanda Cavalcanti in Portuguese on TheCityFix Brasil on September 23, 2011.

The fourth edition of the Active Cities, Healthy Cities online competition came to an end last Wednesday, September 14, and winners were chosen for each of the four categories: Road Safety, Public Space, Physical Activity and Sustainable Transport. Coordinated by EMBARQ Brasil, the producer of TheCityFix Brasil, the contest introduces public projects related to sustainability and social welfare.

Competition entrants represented an impressive array of topics and a comprehensive approach to healthy and active cities. With more than 100 submissions, this year marked a record-high in the number of registered projects since the contest was created in 2005. Projects hailed from many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, including the following countries: Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Cuba, Uruguay, El Salvador, Panama, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru and Honduras.

Responsible for the final selection of winners, a jury from EMBARQ’s global network evaluated the projects based on innovation and quality, as well as the number of public votes.

Although there are four categories, the expert jury chose five winners. Two projects tied for first place in the Physical Activity and Recreation category. Honorable mentions were also awarded to five outstanding projects in each category.

The official announcement of the awards will take place on October 5 in Mexico City, during an awards ceremony at the 7th International Sustainable Transport Congress, hosted by EMBARQ’s Center for Sustainable Transport in Mexico (CTS-México.) Each of the winners will have a documentary made in its honor.

The contest is sponsored by EMBARQ‘s Latin America centers, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Below, meet the winners of the Active Cities, Healthy Cities competition. Next week, be sure to follow our special blog series, “CACS Highlights,” profiling each of the winners.

ROAD SAFETY

1st Place:  Driver Education for Youth – Cerrito / ARGENTINA

Honorable Mentions :
Urgent Life – Porto Alegre / RS / BRAZIL 
Road Safety Week – Asuncion, Paraguay 
Cycle path of Faxinal do Soturno- Faxinal do Soturno / RS / BRAZIL 
Project Trapa – São Paulo / SP / BRAZIL 
Mala History – Valinhos / SP / BRAZIL

PUBLIC SPACE

1st Place:  Hall Street – Canoas / RS / BRAZIL

Honorable Mentions 
Regaining the City – Colima / MEXICO 
Ideas Bank – Santa Maria / BRAZIL 
Sustainable Tourism Heritage Cities – Santiago de Querétaro / MEXICO 
Green Apples – Cochabamba / Bolivia 
Paseo de la Sexta – Ciudad de Guatemala / GUATEMALA  
Integra Colony – Uruguay

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND RECREATION

1st Place:   Gymnastics at the 3rd Age – the Faxinal Soturno / RS / BRAZIL 
1st Place:   Medellin in Motion / Medellin / COLOMBIA

Honorable Mentions 
Peace Swinging Haiti – Port au Prince / Haiti 
Health Tent – Uberlândia / BRAZIL 
Health and Life, Cuban School of Wushu – Havana / CUBA 
Healthy Tourist – Atacames / ECUADOR 
Universal Harmony Square – Brasilia / BRAZIL

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT AND AIR QUALITY 

1st Place:  Urban Cycling Trainers / Xalapa / MEXICO

Honorable Mentions 
Clean Water – Horizontina / BRAZIL 
Best in Bike – Buenos Aires / ARGENTINA 
Afforestation Conscious – Igrejinha / BRAZIL 
Friends of Water – Santa Cruz do Sul / BRAZIL 
Plan Bicycle – Sorocaba / BRAZIL