The national contest is sponsored by the Weather Channel, DISH Network, Frontier Communications, and CoBank. A multiyear competition, the winner will not be announced for two more years. The three communities that make it to the top will take home a combined $6m, with the winning town taking home half of the total prize amount.
Kennewick was entered in the contest by the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Port of Kennewick, Visit Tri-Cities, and the city government served as partners on the application.
The entrance is part of a larger effort on the part of the city and region to rebrand itself and attract more people and projects to the area. Speaking to the Tri-City Herald, Carl Adrian, the CEO and president of TRIDEC, stated:
"The whole idea is to make this a better community."
The organizations can use a Print company to let residents know about the prize and inform them of how it will be used. It is to be used to create strategies to improve quality of life in the area and to improve the local economy.
The next round of the contest will take place in January, when 15 semifinalists are named. The communities that make it to the semifinals will be given an additional $100,000.Get a Free Quote for Print