Future of Downtown Awards
Highlighting the changemakers of Downtown Austin
Every year, the Downtown Austin Alliance recognizes dedicated people who make significant contributions or outstanding improvements to our downtown community at our annual Future of Downtown event.
Nominee applications for 2025 have closed! Join us at the Future of Downtown event on May 27 for the announcement of our award winners.
Award Categories
Meredith Powell Award for Community Culture
This annual award is given to an individual champion for authentic and inclusive arts, culture, and sense of place downtown.
The Meredith Powell Award for Community Culture’s namesake is a tireless advocate of the power of arts and culture to strengthen community and place. Meredith Powell is a visionary in the arts community, as the former executive director of Art Alliance and founder of Public City. By elevating community voices and bringing life to underutilized spaces through art and activation, her work has significantly contributed to downtown’s vibrancy for over 20 years.
Downtown Vision Award
This award is given to a group or project that has a significant impact on the community vision for downtown. The Downtown Vision strives to ensure that downtown is a place that is loved by all Austinites. Transformative by nature, the Downtown Vision awardee overtly demonstrates our core values of inclusion, impact and collaboration.
Submit Nominees
The 2025 award nomination process is now closed. Award winners will be recognized at the Downtown Austin Alliance’s Future of Downtown event May 27, 2025 and will also be celebrated in a video feature.
As people and organizations work year-round to transform downtown and influence its unique culture, our nomination form will remain open. Nominees submitted after February 9, 2025 will be considered for the 2026 Future of Downtown Awards.
Previous Award Winners
Meredith Powell Award for Community Culture
Congratulations to Art from the Streets for receiving the second annual Meredith Powell Award for Community Culture in 2024.
Congratulations to Meredith Powell for receiving the first annual Meredith Powell Award for Community Culture in 2023.
Downtown Vision Award
Congratulations to St. David’s Episcopal Church for receiving our first annual Downtown Vision Award in 2024.
