The Strongest Town Contest is a Strong Towns competition that celebrates communities building lasting strength from the bottom up.
Grow their financial resiliance by making better use of their land and infrastructure.
Respond to local needs incrementally over time to build safe, adaptive, and prosperous places.
Take local action instead of relying on distant, top-down funding or governmental systems.
These communities don’t become strong towns through grand plans or glossy renderings, but by taking small steps to strengthen their place.
During the 2027 contest, we'll be focusing on how towns across North America are taking small steps to boost their local economies. Whether you are already seeing results or just getting started, your town is invited to participate.
Low-Cost Pop-up Shops Create Big Value in Muskegon, Michigan
2018 champion, Muskegon, shows how low-cost pop-up shops turned vacant land into opportunities for local businesses, bringing new life to downtown while allowing entrepreneurs to grow with less risk.
The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Using Public Art to Help Small Businesses
2021 champion, Lockport, showed how a creative public art project brought local businesses together, attracted visitors downtown, and helped struggling shops thrive through community collaboration.
How does your town benefit?
Share your town’s progress with 1.7 million annual readers and 190,000 YouTube subscribers.
Use recognition as fuel for the flames to continue your work building a strong town.
What Makes a Good Nomination?
You don't need a perfect town to be the Strongest Town. We're looking for communities taking small, meaningful steps toward a stronger future, or just getting started.
A great nomination shows us what makes your town special, the challenges you're working to overcome, and how small actions are making a difference (or could in the future). It's about progress, not perfection.
To nominate your town, you'll start with a short video sharing your community's story.
