AKRON, Ohio — Akronites or Akron groups with big ideas for improvements to a park in their neighborhood have until April 22 to enter the Akron Parks Challenge.

What You Need To Know

  • The Akron Parks Challenge wants residents to enter ideas through April 22 for improving a city park

  • The 4th Akron Parks Challenge will select two winners and invest up to $100,000 for each park

  • The goal of the contest is to bring vibrancy back to parks, while uniting the communities around them

  • Finalists will be contacted for interviews in mid-May and winners will be announced in June

The 4th Akron Parks Challenge will select two winning submissions for improving parks and invest up to $100,000 for each winner, the city said in a release.

The goal of the contest is to bring vibrancy back to Akron parks, energizing and uniting the communities around them, the city said.

Part of the challenge is for entrants to show how they will rally their community around revitalizing the park. The parks challenge team works with the winners to develop “friends groups” that can serve as stewards of the improved park, deciding on such things as programming and upkeep into the future, the city said.

The awarded money is not a grant, but an allocation the city will spend on carefully selected improvements, while working with the winning groups to catalyze neighborhood development.

“This is every citizen’s opportunity to help the city co-create welcoming, accessible and functional spaces for the community to enjoy," said Mayor Dan Horrigan.

Since 2018, the city has hosted three challenges that resulted in revitalization of seven parks, said Akron Parks Collaborative Executive Director Bridget Ambrisco.

“We worked with each community to seek additional funds to realize their full vision,” she said. “In total, $700,000 of city funds leveraged $410,000 in private funds for a total of $1.1 million. We are looking forward to working with two more communities to realize their vision for their neighborhood park.”

Parks challenge entries will be judged based on feasibility, sustainability, equity and neighborhood impact, the city said. Finalists will be contacted for interviews in mid-May and winners will be announced in June.

All 10 Akron wards were represented in last year’s challenge, which drew 51 applications, the city said. The two winners were Kerr Park in West Akron, Ward 4, and Jewett Park in Middlebury, Ward 10.

To see the full list of past winners, and review a list of parks eligible for the challenge, visit the Akron Parks Collaborative website.

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