How to Apply for the Great American Main Street Awards®
The Great America Main Street Awards® (GAMSA) application process has two stages - Preliminary and Semifinalist:
- The Preliminary Application is an online application and will ask for statistical figures from your community, narrative about your revitalization efforts, and photographs. The application fee of $150 is due with your preliminary application.
- The Semifinalist Application will be required for semifinalists only and will ask for additional background material, including a short video, maps, letters of support, other supporting documents, and a resolution of support from your local government. There is no additional charge for this application.
Only entries that conform to the application directions will be considered. Please note that all materials submitted will become the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and will not be returned.
How to Apply
Invitations to apply will be sent to eligible communities via email on July 18, 2011. If you have not received an invitation to apply and believe that you are eligible, please send your name, program name, city, and state to mainstreet@nthp.org or call 202-588-6219.
Download a copy of the instructions and questions (PDF)
Eligibility Guidelines
The Great American Main Street Awards® competition is open to all National Main Street Programs accredited for at least two years prior to applying for the award. At this time, prior winners are ineligible to apply for the 2012 Award.
Selection Process
All entries are reviewed and assigned preliminary scores by National Trust staff using the criteria below. The top scoring applications will be selected as semifinalists and then be invited to submit a Semifinalist Application. A jury of representatives from the community revitalization, economic development, and historic preservation fields will review the semifinalist applications and select up to five winners. The jury will use these same criteria to evaluate each semifinalist application. Evaluation of applications is based on the achievements of the commercial district and community as a whole, and not the performance of an individual or a single organization.
- Active involvement of the public and private sectors;
- Broad-based community support for the revitalization effort;
- Quality of achievements over time;
- Innovative solutions to significant problems;
- Commitment to historic preservation;
- Evolving track record of successful commercial district revitalization;
- Comprehensive revitalization effort: activity in all four points of the Main Street Four-Point Approach®;
- Economic impact of the revitalization program; and
- Successful small business development.
Preliminary Application
The Preliminary Application must be submitted via our online application. Eligible Main Street Programs (see above), will receive an email with instructions for how to receive your personalized link to the online application. Please remember, the Preliminary Application must be submitted entirely online. Download the questions (PDF)
If you have not been invited to submit but believe you may be eligible, please email your name, program name, city, and state to mainstreet@nthp.org. We will attempt to respond to all inquiries within 3 business days.
You will be able to save and revisit your responses until your application is complete and submitted. Please note that this link is unique to your account, so safeguard it throughout the entire application process.
|
Application Deadline: |
September 7, 2011 |
|
Application Fee: |
$150 |
|
Preliminary Application |
The preliminary application evaluate:
|
|
Notification of Receipt: |
Confirmation of receipt of your preliminary application will be sent via email within seven (7) business days of the application deadline. |
|
Notification of Status: |
Once selected, semifinalists will receive instructions on how to submit the Semifinalist Application and supporting documents. Information on the details of that application can be found below. |
Tips and Recommendations
Tip #1: Don’t assume we know your story. Be sure answers are well edited and intended for an audience that is looking at your community for the first time. What sets your Main Street apart for the hundreds of others eligible to apply?
Tip #2: Pictures matter! Make sure you are selecting photos that support the information and story you are relaying in the application. Put some good time and effort into selecting the 30 photos that truly reflect your unique story well. Also put good effort into captions for the photos.
Tip #3: Anticipate becoming a semifinalist and start planning your video. Whether you become a semifinalist or not, the video can be a good promotional tool for the your program. As with the photos, make sure you are telling your story well and making sure they jury is seeing the information, interviews and images that will help them select your program. The video is an especially good vehicle for showing broad support from your stakeholders.
Tip #4: Don’t get discouraged. On average, GAMSA winners have applied at least 2 times and many have won on their 3rd or 4th application. There is tough competition for those 5 slots each year and sometimes it takes a few times to make it to the final slots.
Important Notes
- All materials submitted are the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and will not be returned.
- Only applications submitted in the format indicated above will be accepted.
- Previous GAMSA winners are not eligible to apply for the 2012 Awards.
- You will be able to save your responses online and return to edit them. However, we strongly recommend that you compose your responses beforehand and paste them into the online form.
Recognition of Winners
Winners of the 2012 Great American Main Street Awards® competition will be notified in January 2012 and will be officially honored at an awards ceremony during the 2012 National Main Streets Conference held April 1-4, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. The awards ceremony will feature the winners' achievements, as well as the presentation of the award. The information on winners is kept confidential until the official announcement.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation will also distribute press releases announcing the award winners to local and national media and winning communities will be featured in an issue of the National Trust Main Street Center's bi-monthly journal, Main Street Now, on the www.mainstreet.org and www.PreservationNation.org, as well as other media. Great American Main Street Awards® winning communities also receive a bronze plaque and a certificate marking their achievement.
Check out the 2011 GAMSA WinnersGreat American Main Street Awards® communities also receive a bronze plaque and a certificate marking their achievement.
