The All-America City Award recognizes communities that leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation to successfully address local issues.
Watch the VideoCongratulations to the 2026 All-America City Winners!
The National Civic League is excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 All-America City Award! As the nation marks 250 years since its founding, the 2026 All-America City Award recognized communities that are bringing the ideal of a government of, by, and for the people to life. This year’s AAC winners are being recognized for their efforts to strengthen civic health and build trust. Twenty finalists were selected through a rigorous application process. These finalist communities traveled to Denver, Colorado, where they connected and shared insights with peers, learned from national thought leaders, and presented their work to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders. After careful deliberation, the jury selected these ten winning communities.
Your 2026 All-America Cities are…
North Charleston, South Carolina
Finalists for the award included:
Bowling Green-Warren County, Kentucky
The All-America City Award event is an awards ceremony and networking event unlike any other! Through concrete examples, interactive discussions, and finalist presentations – attendees walk away with the knowledge, skills, contacts, and inspiration you need to better strengthen your community.
The award, typically given to 10 communities each year, celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes and regions that engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective efforts to tackle critical challenges.
“Congratulations to the 2026 All-America City Award recipients! These communities are models of what civic health looks like in practice: neighbors building trust across difference, institutions opening doors to real participation, and communities choosing to face their challenges together. That is exactly the spirit America’s 250th anniversary calls us to celebrate.”
– The National Civic League’s President, Doug Linkhart
Learn more about the All-America City Award
View All Past Winners
Interested in applying?
Communities have found civic strength and growth as a result of winning the award and gain a better understanding of civic excellence through the year-long application process. In applying communities reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, challenges and the progress they have made.
Learn How To ApplyWebinars, Interviews and Speeches
This page includes webinars, interviews and speeches covering promising practices around the country. The free monthly Promising Practices Webinar series highlights successful projects around the country with speakers from cities implementing creative strategies for civic engagement. These webinars are free and open to anyone who is interested in creating stronger communities. The National Civic League's interview series includes conversations with elected officials, civic engagement experts, figures important to our history and others. Recorded speeches allow you to re-live the keynote addresses of past All-America City awards events and conferences.
View the Webinar Archive
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