Strongest Towns Contest

Grand Rapids, Michigan—Grand Rapids will go head-to-head with fifteen other US cities in the 9th Annual Strongest Town Contest and voting begins Monday, March 4. In this bracket-style voting tournament, Grand Rapids will compete for the “Strongest Town” title by shining a national spotlight on its progress toward safety, financial resiliency, housing, and transportation.

Competitors will advance over five rounds, based on weekly voting periods. One champion will be honored at the Strong Towns National Gathering, with two representatives flown in and presented with an award. Strong Towns will also create a short documentary film about the winning city. Here’s how voting works. In the first round, Grand Rapids will compete with three other cities in a special category, “ Safe Streets” Then, all cities will advance to Round 2, where they will compete head-to-head and advance weekly based on votes collected during that period:

● R1: Meet Your Contestants (March 4-8).

● R2: Sweet Sixteen (March 11-15)

● R3: Elite Eight (March 18-22).

● R4: Final Four (April 1-5).

● R5: Championship (April 8-12).

The Champion will be announced on Monday, April 15. Previous contest winners have adapted their roads to be safer and pedestrian friendly, created public centers where local commerce thrives, and provided access to community services through a strong network of community partnerships. What do all these Strongest Towns have in common? They put people first.