Cities and communities interested in applying for the All-America City Award have six more weeks to put their hats in the ring for the prestigious.... Cities and communities interested in applying for the All-America City Award have six more weeks to put their hats in the ring for the prestigious community award.

As it has since 1949, the 2006 All-America City Award will recognize communities that are overcoming their challenges through innovative leadership and collaborative problem solving. The All-America-City Award, a program of the National Civic League, is the oldest and most prestigious community recognition program in the country. The Award recognizes exceptional community problem-solving and is earned by communities that work cooperatively to address and overcome challenges.

For the past 56 years, the All-America City Award has encouraged, and recognized, civic excellence. It honors communities of all sizes ¨C cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods and regions ¨C in which citizens, government, businesses and volunteer organizations work together to address critical local issues. Communities that address their challenges in innovative and collaborative ways can become an All-America City.

Since 1949, more than 500 communities have earned this prestigious award. The National Civic League is now accepting applications for the 2006 Award. Cities, towns, neighborhoods, counties, and regions can apply. Applications are due March 9, 2006. The National Civic League will announce the 30 finalists on April 14, 2006. All finalists advance to the 57 th annual All-America City Awards competition in Anaheim, June 9-12. A national panel of judges from all sectors of society will score all 30 presentations and select 10 winners based on the quality of the collaborative projects each community presents.

For more information, or to receive an application for the 2006 All-America City Award, contact Gary Chandler at the National Civic League. Call 303-571-4343, or write to aleksh@ncl.org.

Applications and information are available at www.ncl.org/aac. The 2006 All-America City Award program is sponsored in part by Marriott International and the Marriott Anaheim.

The National Civic League (NCL) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to building community and promoting democracy at the local level. NCL facilitates community processes and conducts and publishes research on political reform and community building.