16 towns. 5 rounds. 1 champion.
Compete
Rally support and showcase your town’s strength, capitalizing on the benefits of amplifying your town’s story through Strong Towns.
Vote
It’s up to our readers to vote for their favorites each week. Voting is weighted so that Strong Towns member votes comprise 50% of the tally and non-member votes make up the other 50%. Voting for the contest is now complete.
Win
The winning town will be honored at the Strong Towns National Gathering, with two representatives flown in (room and board covered) and presented with their award, plus we’ll create a special film about your town.
Note: While the contest is open to anyone in the world, we can only cover flights to the Gathering from the continental United States due to the small budget of our organization. If a town outside the continental US wins, the scope and nature of the film may also be subject to negotiation.
Contest Timeline
Pre-Contest
Applications accepted:
January 22–February 18
Application review:
February 19–March 1
Round 1: Meet Your Contestants
Voting Period:
March 4-7
Format:
16 towns are grouped into 4 segments of 4, with a theme for each group such as Best Progress Toward Building Safer Streets, Best Public Engagement Processes, etc. Everyone gets to vote for the best town in each segment, basing their votes on information from that town’s application.
Result:
One winner is crowned in each of the four categories. Then, all 16 towns continue to Round 2.
Round 2: Sweet Sixteen
Voting Period:
March 11-14
Format:
Each town is matched against another town, bracket style, for 8 total match-ups. Everyone gets to vote on the strongest town in each match-up by reviewing the towns’ applications for the contest.
Result:
One town wins each match-up based on popular votes. Eight towns advance to Round 3.
Round 3: Elite Eight
Voting Period:
March 18-21
Format:
Each town is matched against another town, bracket style, for 4 total match-ups. Everyone gets to vote on the strongest town in each match-up, basing their votes on a photo tour of each town.
Result:
One town wins each match-up based on popular votes. Four towns advance to Round 4.
Round 4: Final Four
Voting Period:
April 1-4
Format:
The bracket continues with two match-ups. Everyone gets to vote on the strongest town in each match-up, basing their votes on an essay about the town by Strong Towns staff writers.
Result:
One town wins each match-up based on popular votes. Two towns advance to the Championship.
Round 5: Championship
Voting Period:
April 8-11
Format:
The final two towns compete in a live championship webinar. Everyone gets to vote for the strongest town.
Result:
Two representatives from the winning town are flown to the 2024 Strong Towns National Gathering in Cincinnati (May 14-15) to be presented with their award certificate. Strong Towns’ video creator will also visit the winning town later in 2024 to make a documentary short film about the community.
Sign up for emails to stay updated on the Strongest Town Contest.
Prepare to Win
Sign up for the email guide to learn what the selection team is looking for. Learn how to choose the best photos of your place, how to put together a nomination team, and more!
Learn more about about how to make your town stronger at strongtowns.org
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