Main Street Awards - Oklahoma Department of Commerce

The Oklahoma Main Street Center, a Division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, holds an annual awards banquet each year where the accomplishments of local Main Street communities in 22 categories of community and economic development are recognized.

Download the 2012 Awards Program

These awards, sent in by the local Main Street Programs, showcase the enthusiasm, creativity and responsibility toward increasing revenue and creating jobs for their local downtown business districts. Awards cover each of the Main Street Program’s 4-Point Approach to local economic revitalization including:

Organization
Promotion
Design
Economic Restructuring

In addition, the “Main Street Community of the Year Award” is also given out to a deserving community. This award recognizes quality in program activities and commitment to Main Street principles.

Board members from each community are recognized as well as the local crowning achievement.

Download appropriate forms and complete and return them following the award instructions.

Download all forms in a zip file

2013 Oklahoma Main Street Awards
Nominations Due: 5:00 p.m. February 1, 2013

The Oklahoma Main Street Center will honor Main Street communities, organizations, and individuals for outstanding achievements in the past year of the Main Street program. There are 22 categories. Please nominate your community's accomplishments in the categories that apply. Anyone in a Main Street community may submit nominations.

Each nomination shall include a nomination form, a one-page reply sheet, photos with captions, and supporting materials, if applicable. Please photocopy these instructions and the nomination forms for others in your community who would like to make nominations. The forms must remain in the format you receive them.

Download these instructions as a PDF

Questions

Contact the Oklahoma Main Street Center at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce at 800-879-6552, or (405) 815-5271.

Eligibility

All projects must have been completed between January 2011 and December 2012 unless otherwise noted in the Awards Categories descriptions. Projects must have been implemented after the town was accepted into the Oklahoma Main Street Program.
If nominated project has won in a category the last three years, it is ineligible in that category.
A maximum of two projects may be nominated in each category.

Criteria

Nominations must follow the “Guidelines to Nominating Projects”, herein.
Nominations must have Board President’s signature to be complete.
Incomplete nominations will not be considered. Nominations missing supporting materials, including photos, will be considered incomplete.
Reply sheets are limited to one page, front only.
The deadline for all nominations is 5:00 p.m. on February 1, 2013
All nominations must arrive (pre-assembled and ready for submission) at the Oklahoma
Department of Commerce. Late or unassembled nominations will not be considered.

Mailing and Delivery address:

Oklahoma Department of Commerce
Oklahoma Main Street Center
900 North Stiles
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104-3234
(405) 815-5271

Guidelines for Nominating Projects

Five (5) sets are required for each nomination, except Board Member of the Year and Crowning Achievement, which are described below.
Each set will include:

Nomination Form
Reply Sheet
Supporting Material, if applicable
Photos, up to 8, numbered and labeled properly
Captions must accompany photos and can be either under each photo or on separate caption page

Each set must be collated and stapled. Each stapled set will be distributed to the appropriate judge.
NO NOTEBOOKS OR FOLDERS
Board Member of the Year requires one copy of the nomination form and reply sheet, one photo of the nominee (labeled with name, town and BMOY), and a photo caption.
Crowning Achievement requires one copy of the nomination form and reply sheet, two photos of the nominee (labeled with name, town and description), and a photo caption.
Nominations may be hand-delivered or mailed. If mailed, nominations must arrive by due date.
Nominations must be assembled before delivery, not on-site at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Nomination Forms:

Nomination forms available for download from this page in the Forms section.
Nomination forms must be typed and complete.
Nomination forms will be e-mailed on request.
Board President’s signature is required on the nomination form.

Reply Sheets:

All questions are to be answered on the reply sheet in essay format. Do not repeat the question or number of question. The reply sheet must have category name, town name, and project name, if applicable, in upper left-hand corner.
Minimum type size is 10-point type and minimum page margin is ½ inch on all sides.
Reply sheets not following above specifications may be disqualified.
Reply sheets are limited to one 8½ x 11 page, front only.

Supporting Materials:

Appropriate supporting materials should be attached behind each reply sheet.
Five complete sets of all materials must be provided.
CD or DVD length should not exceed 20 minutes.
Five copies must be provided.

Photos and Photo Caption Pages:
Photos play an important role in the awards process. They are the only visual images upon which the judges base their evaluations. An excellent facade rehabilitation poorly captured on film may not receive the score it deserves.

Clearly label each 3-1/2” x 5” or 4” x 6” print photo with the following information:

Name of project/building/person, etc.
Name of town or Main Street program
Category of nomination (see suggested abbreviations below) and 2013
(for 2013 Annual Main Street Awards)
Numbered in the order to be seen by the judges. (Begin each category with #1.)
"BEFORE", "DURING", and "AFTER" as appropriate.

Up to eight (8) photos may be submitted for each entry. Five (5) identical sets of photos must be included with each nomination. Captions are required for all photos & are acceptable either under the photo or on a separate caption page. For best quality, use photographic paper.
Include all submitted photos on a CD, in addition to the five sets of photos.

NO NOTEBOOKS OR FOLDERS

Digital Photos:

Make sure the photo caption is properly duplicated and included.
Please print it in color on high quality paper at 4 x 6 inches.

Judging:
Nominations will be judged by the Main Street Awards judges based on the criteria listed on each form. The judges rate each nomination using the actual nomination forms.

The Awards Ceremony:

The Main Street Awards will be presented at the Annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet. The banquet is scheduled for May 1, 2013 in Oklahoma City at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Item	Abbreviation
Board Member of the Year	BMOY, 2013
Main Street Crowning Achievement	Crown, 2013
Premier Partner	Prmr Prtnr, 2013
Best Community Education/Public Awareness	CE/PA, 2013
Best Volunteer Development Program	Vdev Prgm, 2013
Best Creative Fundraising Effort	Fundrsg, 2013
Main Street Hero	Hero, 2013
Outstanding Image Promotion	Image, 2013
Best Retail Event	Retail, 2013
Premier Special Event	Special, 2013
Creative New Event	New Event, 2013
Outstanding Main Street Web Presence	Web, 2013
Best Public Improvement Project	Publ Impr, 2013
Best Interior Design Project	Interior, 2012
Best Building Facade Rehabilitation Under $10,000	Fac Renov Un 10, 2013
Best Building Facade Rehabilitation Over $10,000	Fac Renov Ov 10, 2013
Best Window Display	Window, 2013
Best Building/Business Signage	Signage, 2013
Downtown Business of the Year	Business/Yr, 2013
Best Adaptive Reuse Project	Adapt Reuse, 2013
Best New Business Downtown	New Business, 2013
Best Business Practices	Practices, 2013

When taking photos of people, ACTION shots are more interesting than "grip & grins," and "line-ups."

Awards Categories

Organization

Premier Partner
The Oklahoma Main Street Center will honor the community that has demonstrated the highest degree of cooperation between the Main Street organization and various partners, including local municipal government(s), corporations, etc., in their downtown revitalization efforts.

Best Main Street Community Education/Public Awareness
This award recognizes excellence in communication by a Main Street program. A program can inform the community about Main Street in various forms, such as educational programs and public awareness to help share the Main Street story. Newsletters and public forums are eligible in this category.

Best Volunteer Development Program
This award will be granted to the Main Street Program that has demonstrated a successful volunteer development program. This nomination is for developing and managing a volunteer recruitment, training, placement and recognition program. Note: There is no Best Main Street Youth Involvement Program award this year. You can include youth involvement in this category.

Best Creative Fund Raising Effort
This award will be granted to the Main Street organization that has displayed the most creativity and success in securing funds for its downtown program or a specific project. List your financial target(s) and how much money was actually raised. Document with news articles, photos, budgets, etc.

Main Street Hero
This award recognizes outstanding contributions by an individual toward the revitalization of a downtown or neighborhood commercial district. Potential nominees might include: a local developer who successfully rehabilitated and reopened a historic theater or a high school student who launched an innovative, student-run business in a downtown storefront location.

Promotion

Outstanding Image Promotion
This award will recognize the Main Street organization that has developed the best effective public relations piece or promotional campaign. Projects may include printed publications, graphic images, products, signage (directional/billboards), etc. It may also include image ad campaigns or image events such as a display.

Best Retail Event
This award will recognize the Main Street organization that has developed the best effective retail event in conjunction with Main Street merchants. This activity must be a Main Street event and could be a sales-related event, special retail advertising campaign or non-sales related event.

Premier Special Event
This award will recognize the Main Street organization that has created a high quality event that is unique to your community or district, generating traffic for downtown businesses. This activity must be a Main Street event and includes festivals or other kinds of special events not related to image or retail oriented events.

Creative New Event
This award is for a first time event, a never before activity that was well received by the community and could move to permanent status.

Outstanding Main Street Web Presence
This award will honor the Main Street Program with the best presence on the web. The nominee should show a diverse virtual spread incorporated with a good overall marketing plan.

Design

Best Public Improvement Project
This award will honor the Main Street organization that has designed and implemented attractive and sympathetic improvements for a public area downtown. Improvements must be within Main Street area.

Best Interior Design Project
This award will recognize a quality interior design project. The physical design of the project should be sensitive to the building, should enhance the commercial district in appearance or function and should encourage or be a good model for furthering interior design improvements.

Best Facade Rehabilitation Under $10,000
This award recognizes a quality facade Rehabilitation project costing $10,000 or less. The project should enhance the commercial district in appearance and/or function and encourage further design improvements.

Best Facade Rehabilitation Over $10,000
The Oklahoma Main Street Center will recognize a quality facade Rehabilitation project costing more than $10,000. The project should contribute to the physical appearance of the commercial district and encourage further design improvements.

Best Window Display
This award recognizes a quality window display that would best evoke what is being sold in the store and to help creatively market those products to the customer, using good design practices.

Best Building / Business Signage
This award will recognize the best signage that has been installed within the official Main Street area. The installation period for eligible signs is from January 2011 to December 2012. Eligible signs include brand new signs (of all types), refurbished historic signs (with original business name or with new business name incorporated), or restored or stabilized "ghost" signs (historic signs located on the walls and roofs that promote a product or service).

Economic Restructuring

Downtown Business of the Year
The nomination should address why this company represents the best commercial experience in your downtown area. To be nominated, the business must be at least three years old at the end of December 2012.

Best Adaptive Reuse Project
The nomination should address the economic impact of how an historic building has been returned to productive use (including adapting it to a new use) while holding architectural integrity. To be nominated, the building must be at least 50 years old, located in the Main Street area and have a project completion date between January 2011 and December 2012.

Best New Business Downtown
The nomination should address the commercial impact made by a new business to your Main Street district. To be nominated, a “new” business must be at least one year old but no older than three years at the end of December 2012.

Best Business Practices
The nomination should address how the company’s practices distinguish the firm from other organizations. To be nominated, the business must be located in the Main Street district and conducting operations between January 2011 and December 2012.

Other (Non-Competitive)

Board Member of the Year
To recognize the enormous commitment of Main Street volunteers, one board member from each official Main Street community will be honored. Local programs should choose this individual and submit a description on the Board Member of the Year nomination form. These individuals must have been active in a Main Street organization over the past year and made exceptional commitments of time and energy to downtown revitalization during the past calendar year.

Main Street Crowning Achievement
This award will recognize the outstanding accomplishment from each community during the past calendar year. Local programs should choose a project that reflects their greatest success story.