March 16, 2016 -- A Santa Monica-based urban design firm, a well-known national environmental group, a medical center and a luxury hotel are top winners of the 2016 Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA), officials announced Wednesday.

The competition, now in its 21st year, recognizes businesses that have gone green and those leading the pack in environmental change and sustainability. It draws from a wide variety of businesses, big and small, that showcase the “remarkable and innovate,” said Shannon Parry, of the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and Environment.

Winners are proof, she said, that the business sector can employ sustainability practices and show a profit at the same time. More than 140 local business leaders have taken top awards over the years, she said.

This year’s winners of the SQA’s Grand Prize are:

The Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio, Inc. in Santa Monica ,which provides architectural, urban design, planning, and sustainability consultations;

The Natural Resources Defense Council, a big player in environmental issues with more than 2 million members and the courtroom clout of nearly 500 lawyers, scientists and other professionals;

UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, a 265 bed, full-service medical center that employs nearly 2,300 staff, and

Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, a luxury beachfront hotel near downtown Santa Monica.

This year's winners will be formally honored at the annual awards ceremony on April 21st at Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica Hotel.

The SQA Grand Prize is given to businesses that make significant achievements in the categories of economic development, social responsibility and stewardship of the environment, Parry said. Excellence Awards are given to outstanding achievements in any one of the three categories.

Eight awards were given this year. The winners were the author Murray Dance Center in Santa Monica for “Excellence in Economic Development”; Caffe Bellagio for “Excellence in Social Responsibility and Stewardship of the Environment”, and Global Green and haleARTS SPACE for “Excellence in Economic Development.”

Physical Therapyworks, Santa Monica College and The Albright – SM Pier Seafood shared awards for “Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment. Willow Spa won for “Excellence in Social Responsibility.”