How to Apply for the Great American Main Street Awards®
The application process for GAMSA consists of two stages:
- The Preliminary Application will be submitted entirely online 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 brief video, maps, supporting documents, letters of support, and a resolution of support from your local government.
How to Apply
All eligible communities will receive an email with instructions and access to the online application. Please read the eligibility requirements below or in the application instructions (pdf) document to determine if you are eligible to apply.
If you have not received an invitation to apply and believe that you are eligible, please send send your name, program name, city, and state to mainstreet@nthp.org or call 202-588-6219.
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 2010 Award.
Selection Process
National Trust staff review all GAMSA entries using the established criteria and assign preliminary scores. The top-scoring applications will be selected as semifinalists and then 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 the same criteria to evaluate each semifinalist application. Evaluation of applications is based on the achievements of the commercial district and community as a whole, not on the performance of an individual or a single organization.
Preliminary Application
Download Detailed Application Instructions (PDF)
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Application Deadline: |
September 1, 2009 |
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Application Fee: |
$150 |
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Preliminary Application |
The preliminary application will include questions about:
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Notification of Receipt: |
Confirmation of receipt of your preliminary application will be sent via email within five (5) business days of submission. |
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Notification of Status: |
Preliminary Applicants will be notified of their application status on November 6, 2009. Applicants selected as Semifinalists will then 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
Tips for taking and submitting good photos
Semifinalist Application
If your district is selected as a semifinalist, you will be invited to submit a Semifinalist Application and will receive additional instructions. Additional background materials requested in the semifinalist application will include:
- Maps – state map showing your community, city map showing your district, and keyed map of your district.
- Short video – no more than five-minute video showcasing your commercial district. Please note that if you are selected as a winner, this video may be shown at the awards ceremony in Oklahoma City. In addition, photos and video clips may be used in our online promotion of the awards and distributed to media outlets where possible for additional recognition of your achievement.
- Supporting documents - your most recent annual report (with financial statements) or Form 990, as well as four other documents such as brochures or other publications that illustrate the success of your commercial district revitalization efforts.
- Letters of support from stakeholders in your community.
- Resolution of support from your local government.
Semifinalists may also be asked additional questions to clarify previously submitted material or provide more in-depth information.
We recommend that applicants anticipate being selected as a semifinalist and begin preparing these additional items. They could be helpful to your organization, even if you are not selected as a semifinalist.
Semifinalist applications must be mailed with a postmark on or before January 8, 2010.
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 2010 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.
Important Dates
| June 19, 2009 | Eligible Communities notified and 2010 GAMSA Preliminary Application Avalable online |
| September 1, 2009 | Preliminary application deadline |
| November 6, 2009 | 2010 semifinalists selected and all applicants notified of status |
| January 8, 2010 | 2010 semifinalist application deadline |
| March 1, 2010 | 2010 GAMSA winners selected and all semifinalists notified of status |
| May 2010 | 2010 GAMSA winners recognized at the 2010 National Main Streets Conference in Oklahoma City |
Recognition of Winners
Winners of the 2010 Great American Main Street Awards® competition will be officially honored at an awards ceremony during the 2010 National Main Streets Conference, May 2-5, 2010, in Oklahoma City. The awards ceremony will feature the winners' achievements, as well as the presentation of the award.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation will distribute press releases announcing the award winners to local and national media. Winning communities will also be featured in an issue of the National Trust Main Street Center's monthly journal, Main Street News, on the www.mainstreet.org and www.PreservationNation.org websites, and other media.
Great American Main Street Awards® communities also receive a bronze plaque and a certificate marking their achievement.
