Is this what you wanted to know? Strongest Town Contest FAQs

Have you heard? We are now accepting nominations for the 2021 Strongest Town contest. (Nominate your community here!)  If you’re not familiar with it yet, the Strongest Town contest is an annual competition we run to find the strongest town or city in the world.

It seems like everywhere we turn these days—especially, though not exclusively, in the news and on social media—we are inundated with doom-and-gloom. Don’t get us wrong: there is plenty to be sad, disappointed, or angry about it, and we do our fair share of critiquing here too. But there’s also a lot of good out there. And there are literally millions of people working really hard to make their communities stronger, more resilient, more livable, and more lovable. Once a year, we run a fun competition to learn more about these towns and cities, share them with our members and audience, and eventually crown the Strongest Town. While it is technically a competition, it is wholly positive...and one of our favorite annual events.

We thought we would take some time to answer a few of the most common questions we receive about the Strongest Town contest. If you have any additional questions, leave them in the comments below or email them to our Content Manager, John Pattison, at john@strongtowns.org.

How do I nominate my own town or city?

You can directly access our short application here, and you can get additional information (including official rules and important dates) here.

Do I have to be a city official to nominate my town or city?

Not at all! While local officials, elected or otherwise, are certainly welcome to nominate their communities, any resident is eligible to apply. We encourage team efforts.

When is the deadline to submit my nomination?

The deadline is Sunday, March 7, at 11 p.m. Central. View the contest schedule.

Is my town too small? Is my city too big?

In previous years, we have had great applications from towns as small as Amesville, Ohio (population 154) and cities as big as San Francisco (population 884,363).

Wollongong, Australia made it to the Sweet 16 of the 2017 Strongest Town contest. Image credit.

I don’t live in the United States. Can I still submit a nomination for my community?

Yes! We once got a nomination from Wollongong, in New South Wales, Australia, which looks like an incredible city.

The thing is, while the contest is open to anyone in the world, due to the small budget of our organization, we can only offer a visit from Chuck Marohn if the winner is from North America.

Oh, yeah. Good point. What will the winning community receive?

The winner of the Strong Towns contest will receive a visit from Strong Towns President Charles Marohn to celebrate the victory and share the Strong Towns message. Like we said above, these prizes are only available to winners from North America.

No matter where the winner is from, they will receive an in-depth profile on our website that we will share with our worldwide audience. (We now reach more than 2 million people each year.) 

My community isn’t perfect. Should I even bother nominating my town?

We’re not looking for perfection but rather a process at work. Our focus is on finding the town that is doing its best to become strong. Don't let your desire for perfection prevent you from entering this contest. We know that no town is perfect. Show us the best that your town has to offer, and what you're doing to become even stronger.

Alright, I’m convinced. Where do I apply again?

Right here:

Top image of 2018 Strongest Town Muskegon, Michigan. Image credit.