Enter the Strongest Town Contest Today

It might seem like we often focus on problems here at Strong Towns: We argue that our cities are spending themselves into budget deficits and building road systems they can't maintain. But the truth is, we hear positive examples of people like you making their towns better almost every day. Here's your opportunity to share more of those stories: Enter the Strongest Town contest.

This March, Strong Towns will be hosting a bracket-based contest to see who has the strongest town. We will be judging towns based on the Strong Towns strength test, as well as general Strong Towns principles

We know that no one's town is perfect. This contest is about showcasing towns that are doing their best to be strong, that have the building blocks in place to be strong towns today and in the future. Valentine's Day just passed; why not show your town some love by entering this contest?


CONTEST GUIDELINES

  • To enter the contest, please fill out this form. It asks a series of short-answer questions related to the strength of your town’s transportation system, finance situation, community health and more.
  • The deadline for submissions is March 4.
  • If you are invited on to the next round, you will be asked to participate in another step of the application process. See Contest Schedule below for details.
  • Anyone can create a submission for his or her town (meaning you don't have to be an elected official or some other official town representative).We encourage you to work with other residents in your town to put together your application. There is no limit on the number of collaborators.
  • The first round will be judged by Strong Towns staff and board in order to determine the Sweet Sixteen. After that, it'll be up to our readers to vote for their favorites each week, and take us down to the championship round at the end of March.
  • Winners will receive eternal fame and glory, plus signed copies of our upcoming book, Thoughts on Building Strong Towns, Volume II, and a certificate proclaiming your town: The Strongest
  • Strong Towns staffregular contributors and board members are excluded from participating in this competition. 

CONTEST SCHEDULE

February 2: Contest opens

March 4: First round submissions due

Mar 14-17: Sweet Sixteen is notified, their answers are published and Strong Towns readers vote for the strongest.

Mar 18: Elite Eight are notified and 3-5 photos are requested of them, illustrating the strength of their town.

Mar 21-22: Elite Eight photos are published and Strong Towns readers vote for the strongest.

Mar 23-27: Final Four are notified and record podcasts with Chuck to talk about their town.

Mar 28-29: Final Four podcasts are published and Strong Towns readers vote for the strongest.

Mar 30: The Championship Round is announced and a live webinar takes place with the final two. Strong Towns readers vote for the strongest.

Mar 31:  The winner is announced!