Raton MainStreet accepts their 2025 Great American Main Street Award. © BeauMonde Originals/Main Street America
Main Street America’s signature awards programs recognize and celebrate Main Street programs and leaders.
Click on the cards below to learn more about our awards programs and meet previous winners.
Denison’s Arts and Jazz Fest features live jazz throughout downtown. Discover Denison, Denison Arts Council, local school jazz bands, and over a dozen local art vendors worked together to provide this unique experience. © Randy Sedlacek
Recognizing Exceptional Main Streets
Royal Oak, Michigan © Royal Oak DDA
Applauding Main Street Resiliency
“Denison, Jefferson, and Raton exemplify how small communities can overcome economic challenges through ingenuity and collective effort.Each program brings a unique perspective, but all three stand out for their resiliency, creative placemaking, and commitment to preservation-based economic development that has transformed their downtowns into vibrant community hubs.”
- Erin Barnes, Main Street America President & CEO
Denison Main Street, in Denison, Texas, Denison Main Street is recognized for leading an expansive community engagement effort to support businesses affected by the most ambitious infrastructure renovation in Denison’s 152-year history.
Denison’s Arts and Jazz Fest features live jazz throughout downtown. Discover Denison, Denison Arts Council, local school jazz bands, and over a dozen local art vendors worked together to provide this unique experience. © Randy Sedlacek
In Raton, New Mexico, Raton MainStreet exceptional leadership has resulted in a renewed and economically resilient community that supports growth and opportunity, while still honoring the main street’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
Jefferson Matters, in Jefferson, Iowa, is celebrated for their commitment to support, promote, and preserve the historic downtown of Jefferson, while contributing to the greater community’s continued vitality.
Jefferson Matters’ art-focused redevelopment convinced married artists Chad Elliott (performing above) and Alyssa Elliott to open Elliott Art Studios in 2023. © Matt Wetrich
Main Street America is proud to recognize Sheri Stuart, Claudia Loya, and Josh Rogers as the recipients of the 2025 Mary Means Leadership Award. The prestigious award is Main Street America’s top honor recognizing individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the field of comprehensive preservation-based economic development and commercial district revitalization. The 2025 Mary Means Leadership Award was presented today at the closing plenary for the Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
An exceptional leader, Sheri Stuart transforms communities and bridges the rural-urban divide through strategic vision, empathy, inclusivity, approachability, and innovation.
Sheri Stuart on a site visit in Spray, Oregon. © Oregon Main Street
Whether leading strategic planning sessions, coordinating with city and county officials, or championing initiatives like Small Business Saturday, Claudia Loya consistently brings people together to drive progress based on a shared vision and purpose.
Josh Rogers was a transformative and visionary leader whose legacy lives on in the streets, storefronts, and residents of Macon, Georgia. Through his leadership, Josh shaped a new future for NewTown Macon built on innovation and equity.
“The recipients of the Main Street Forward Awards have demonstrated inspiring creativity and entrepreneurial thinking in the face of existential challenges to their downtowns. While their projects are wide-ranging, these Main Street programs have all stepped in to rebuild more sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities. I know that their work will serve as an example to communities across the country of the perseverance of the Main Street Movement.”
- Patrice Frey, Main Street America President and CEO (2013−2022)
Recognizing six downtown commercial districts that demonstrated exemplary recovery and resilience efforts amid the multiple crises of 2020.
Royal Oak, Michigan © Royal Oak DDA
