The All-America City Award recognizes communities that leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation to successfully address local issues.

Explore the Program

The 2023 All-America City Award Event was held in Denver, CO from June 9-11, 2023. Communities named as finalists assembled teams of residents, nonprofits, businesses, government leaders, young people, etc. to present their  efforts around the year’s theme, “Creating Thriving Communities through Youth Engagement.”

During the event, these teams connected and shared insights with peers, learned from national thought-leaders, and presented the story of their work to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders. Speeches, ceremonies, and finalist presentations were live-streamed to our Facebook page. Professional recordings and photos will be available soon!

The transformational experience equips, inspires and supports leaders and communities to achieve more than they ever believed possible.

• The event includes workshops, panel discussions, peer learning opportunities,  and community presentations to a jury of national experts.
• Workshops include expert and practitioner panels, and a dedicated peer learning time to learn the details of finalists projects to take back to your community.
• Communities have the opportunity to show the flavor of their city during the Civic Action Fair and the Cultural Entertainment Showcase. 

If you want new ideas or if you think you are at the end of the rope you should be sure to attend the All-America City Award Event. Mandy Pitts, Communications Director, City of Hickory, NC

About AAC 2022

The 2022 All-America City Awards Event and Competition was held virtually in conjunction with GLR Week, July 18-22, 2022. Communities named as finalists will be encouraged to assemble teams of residents, nonprofits, businesses, government leaders, young people, etc. to present their  efforts around the year’s theme, “Housing as a Platform to Promote Early School Success and Equitable Learning Recovery.”

The virtual event included community presentations from the 20 finalists, participant roundtables, inspiring speakers, interactive virtual booths and entertaining talent showcases from across the country. You can relive the 2022 keynote speeches and workshops here.

Past event programs: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Community presentations are an essential part of the All-America City experience. Finalist communities have 10 minutes to bring their application to life and present the story of their work and their community to a jury of national civic experts. The presentations are followed by 10 minutes of Q&A from the jury to learn more about specific projects and initiatives. Communities present the story of their work, but these are no Powerpoint presentations. We see everything from first-person testimonials to skits, from mock TV shows to heartfelt stories, from dancing to spoken-word poetry and rap.

Click here to view all previous presentations from previous finalists and winners.

Teams from other finalist communities fill the audience to watch one another present the story of their work. These presentations give other communities a chance to learn from their peers and cheer one another on.  Whatever form they take, these presentations are a powerful, inspiring and educational experience.