The Clutha Gold Trail Charitable Trust won the Supreme Award at the 2014 TrustPower Clutha District Community Awards on Monday night.
The trust will now represent the district at the 2014 TrustPower National Community Awards in Wellington in March next year.
The $5.3 million project has created 73km of cycle trail between Lawrence and the Lake Roxburgh dam.
Open since October 24, 2013, the trail links Clutha to about 260km of cycle trails in Central Otago.
The trust had to negotiate with 16 private landowners to create the trail.
Murray Paterson and Peter Cummings accepted the award in Balclutha.
The other members of the trust are Rod Peirce, Graham Dillon, Colin Turner, Stu Edgecomb, Dave Crawford, Bill Dacker and Rob Hewett.
''The trail is great,'' Mr Paterson said.
''A lot of people are on it; a lot of locals use it regularly.''
He was looking forward to showcasing the trail in Wellington next year, he said.
The Clutha Development Trust's destination marketing manager, Joanna Lowrey, said the trail was an important asset for tourism in Clutha.
''The Clutha Gold Trail is in under willows; you're meandering with the river ... It's quite a different cycle trail - and it's for all levels,'' she said.
''You really are experiencing rural New Zealand at its best ... There's a wealth of history that's been forged into the river and you take that in as you follow it.''
Other winners on Monday night were: Heritage and Environment: South Otago Forest and Bird; Health and Wellbeing: Clutha Valley Rural Neighbourhood Support; Arts and Culture: Clutha District Settlement Support Group; Sport and Leisure: Otago Shearing and Woolhandling Committee; Education and Child/Youth Development: Kaitangata Car Show and Run; Youth Spirit: Tyler Ford, the Catlins Area School. Individual Civic Awards were given to Bill and Sharon Bazley, John Burgess, Iain (Blue) Fletcher and Marie Kean.
