If the last 15 months have taught us anything, it’s that Main Street is critical to community resiliency. This year’s Excellence on Main celebration will feature stories that highlight three important themes: Main Street helped small businesses survive, Main Street districts are places where the community comes together, and Main Street is about people helping people.
Different from our typical competitive awards process, Excellence on Main 2021 will feature storytelling from all Washington Main Street Communities. We want to capture your successes, reflections, and personal anecdotes. Here’s how we plan to do that:
- Every Main Street Community is invited to submit 3 short videos through the form below.
- You may choose the representative from your organization who speaks on your behalf in the videos, though we suggest that the speaker be the executive director.
- These videos each respond to a different question intended to capture a diversity of stories and experiences.
- Washington Main Street will sift through all of the videos submitted and choose the ones to be included in the Excellence on Main celebration on September 27. (Tickets are sold through RevitalizeWA registration)
- Every Community that submits videos will have at least one included in the celebration, though we do encourage you to submit one video for each of the three prompts to give WMS curatorial options.
Submitting your videos
Please use the form below to submit your 3 videos by Friday, July 16.
Each of your 3 videos will respond to a different prompt:
- How did your organization help small businesses survive the pandemic? (Specific stories of supporting individual businesses especially encouraged.)
- What did you learn about the importance of physical spaces as community gathering places?
- How did your community step up for one another throughout the pandemic?
Videos should following the following protocol:
- Have a friend capture your video on their phone or film it yourself using a recording setting on Zoom.
- Film horizontally!
- Limit each video to 30 seconds.
- While we recommend filming on-site (your downtown), please remember to choose a location with limited background noise.
- Be as specific as possible – remember that a good story includes details!