2025 Minnesota Main Streets Award Nominations Survey

Minnesota Main Street Awards highlight achievements in Main Street communities. With an award tied to each of the Four Points of the Main Street Approach, recent Main Street community efforts are publicly celebrated and showcased at the state level.

All levels of Main Street membership are able to submit nominations: Network, Associate, Affiliate, and Accredited. Accredited and Affiliate Program Staff are required to submit nominations for at least least two award categories. Click here to see the list of last year's award winners.

Click here to see the list of Minnesota Main Street Communities.

Anyone from a Main Street community is welcome to submit a nomination (a local Main Street Staff member, board or committee member, volunteer, business owner, or community member). You may submit nominations for your own community, or another Main Street community in Minnesota. You may submit a nomination for only one category or for every category, and are allowed to submit multiple nominations in a single category. To submit multiple nominations, simply fill out the form, click "done" and fill it out again.

All nominations are due by Monday, May 5 at noon. Winners will be announced on Thursday, June 5, during the evening reception of the Annual Minnesota Main Streets Conference to be held in Lincoln Park, Duluth, MN.

Contact emily@rethos.org with questions.

1.Nominator (your name and email)

2.Award you are nominating for:

Local Lightening Rod Award (Recognizes an Individual. An outstanding board, volunteer, or staff member and the significant efforts put forth by this individual for general program support, district activity, or event-specific action.)

Marketing Excellence: Promotion (Recognizes a special event, promotion, business cooperative, fundraiser, or other similar event facilitated by a local Main Street program. The emphasis is on branding and marketing with outcomes in attendance, money, or public awareness.)

Community Mobilization: Organization (Recognizes an event or initiative in which Main Street program worked in tandem with public and private district stakeholders to achieve success in a specified area. The emphasis is on collaboration between Main Street and public and private entities with measurable outcomes.)

Public or Private Rehabilitation Project: Design (Recognizes investment in physical spaces in Main Street district including facade updates, interior renovations, energy efficiency work, streetscape design, signage, lights, design assistance, grants for local businesses, accessibility, zoning or ordinance changes. The emphasis is on recognizing tangible changes in physical spaces.)

Response and Rally: Economic Vitality (Recognizes outstanding event or initiative in response to a local challenge, threat of demolition, natural disaster, accident, health crisis, or economic incident. The emphasis is on recognizing successful program response.)

3.Name of Nominee (Person, Business, Orgainzation, or Building)

4.What Main Street Community is the nominee from?

5.Please explain why you are nominating this candidate for this award. (Be specific, citing examples of work, events, or instances of how this person, building, or activity has significantly contributed to downtown revitalization efforts.)