Bowling Green in Top 20 Finalists for All-America City Award

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Bowling Green and Warren County are receiving national recognition after being named a top 20 finalist for the All-America City Award.

The award is presented annually by the National Civic League and recognizes communities that demonstrate strong civic engagement and collaboration. The honor has been awarded for more than 75 years to cities across the country that work to build public trust and bring residents together.

This year’s competition is tied to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary and focuses on communities strengthening civic engagement and connections between local government and residents.

According to downtown development coordinator Telia Butler, Bowling Green’s application highlighted several community initiatives, including the Bowling Green 2050 Project, the growing Duncan Hines Days events and the Downtown Ambassador Academy program connecting university students with downtown businesses.

Butler says, ‘’So Bowling Green was named a top 20 finalist by the National Civic League for the All-America City Award. This award has been around for over 75 years. The National Civic League awards it annually to 10 communities who build their public trust and engage with different kinds of community engagement and civic things.”

For the 2026 award, the Civic League is tying the award into America’s 250th anniversary, and the topics are strengthening civic engagement and building trust from the public.

So the city, Warren County and the Bowling Green 2050 project folks together built an application around three key points that made Bowling Green stand out. The 2050 project and all of the amazing ideas that we are now working on bringing to life out of those themes.

The Duncan Hines Days events, that event has grown and grown over the past three years. We’re heading into year four talking about how there’s 40 plus partners in the community who continue to activate those free and accessible events to make Bowling Green a better place to live.

And thirdly, the new Downtown Ambassador Academy that connects the university here to downtown and the community. It’s never been done before by the city or county in this way to get direct connections with the students over a six month program.’’

City leaders say being named a finalist could open the door to additional development opportunities, grants, and partnerships with other communities across the country.

Finalist cities will travel to Denver later this June, where they will present their projects to a panel of judges.

Ten communities will ultimately receive the All-America City designation, with winners expected to be announced June 29.