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May 4, 2023
For more information, contact:
Stacy Hooper Ballard
515.348.6245
communications@iowaeda.com
In honor of National Small Business Month, Gov. Reynolds announced a community contest to show support for Iowa’s small businesses.
A video contest gives communities the chance to win a custom wall
May 4, 2023 (Monks) – Governor Kim Reynolds marked the start of National Small Business Month by announcing an opportunity for Iowan communities to show their support for small businesses at the third annual #IowansUnite Community Challenge. The winning community will be awarded a custom wallpaper.
The contest invites cities, municipalities and economic development organizations to submit creative and inspiring videos that showcase how community members can support small businesses and the importance of businesses to the community. Communities that submit a video have a chance to win a one-of-a-kind mural designed and installed by Iowa artist Ben Schuh to welcome visitors to their shopping district or downtown area.
“Small businesses are not only important economic drivers, but they serve as cultural pillars in our growing communities,” said Governor Reynolds. “This competition is an opportunity for communities to show their support for their small businesses by winning custom art in their downtown and I look forward to seeing the creative entries.”
To enter the contest, communities must create a short video and submit it through the official entry form on the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Facebook page by June 23, 2023.
Creativity is encouraged, but all submissions must feature local residents and small businesses and include elements that reflect each community’s unique hometown spirit. Examples include storefronts, high street districts, famous landmarks, and people shopping or eating. Videos can be created by an individual or group representing the community, but the video must be submitted by the city, municipality or economic development organization.
Following the online voting period (June 26 to June 29), communities whose videos meet the vote threshold assigned to their community size will become finalists. Small communities, cities with a population of 15,000 or less, must have at least 500 votes. Large communities, cities with a population of 15,001 or more, must have at least 1,000 votes.
Finalists will be tasked with demonstrating their community spirit. An independent panel of judges will evaluate all works submitted along with the video submitted along with the official entry form and award the results. The community with the highest score wins the contest and custom wall. Officials of IEDA and IFA met with representatives of the winning community to facilitate the wall project.
“Both small businesses and community art add life and vitality to our downtown districts and this competition provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the importance of both,” said Debbie Durham, executive director of IEDA and IFA. “One community will win a custom mural that will serve as a local tribute and visitor attraction and I wish all participants the best of luck in the competition.”
The 2023 #IowansUnite contest is the third annual contest in conjunction with National Small Business Month. Previous winners include the communities of Knoxville and Washington, whose murals can be found on the IEDA Facebook page.
For more information about the #IowansUnite Community Contest, including official rules and the submission process, visit https://woobox.com/oqhd3r
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