Sidmouth is in the running for a national Britain in Bloom award in 2020.
It is one of three nominations for the top prize in the Large Coastal Town category, along with Bexhill-on-Sea, and St Helier in Jersey.
Exmouth is among those nominated in the Large Town category.
The finalists are nominated by South West in Bloom.
Each regional team chooses five places in its area that have previously done well and have a good chance of winning one of the national titles.
South west co-ordinator Terry Porter said Sidmouth and Exmouth had both been 'absolutely excellent' in the 2019 South West awards.
"They were both very, very strong entries for the south west," he said.
Last year Sidmouth and Exmouth both won gold awards in their categories, and Sidmouth also received the Sargent trophy for outstanding effort and dedication.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here