Nearly 8000 entries were received during the 90-day contest designed to capture and share people's senitments about the city of Grand Rapids.
MyGR6 winners were honored at a Wednesday breakfast event
The interactive MyGR6 exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum
The weather outside may have been rainy and gloomy, but inside the museum the mood was festive. At a lively breakfast event at the Grand Rapids Public Museum Wednesday morning, the six winners of the MyGR6 were introduced to a welcoming audience of family, friends and community leaders.
The open contest, launched on July 4th, invited anyone to describe and celebrate Grand Rapids in six words. Nearly 8,000 entries were received by the October 4th deadline. A panel of community leaders made the final choices of the winning six.
The six winners were:
“Looks like vacation. Feels like home.” Amanda Grah
“Not ChiTown. Not Motown. My Town.” Brandon Helder
“On the river. On the move.” Pamela Patton
“The cure for the common city.” Mike Sikkema
“The heart of the ‘High Five’.” Aron Wheeler
“Water surrounds. Beauty abounds. Happiness found.” Andi Carlson Claus
John “Gonzo” Gonzalez, from the Grand Rapids Press/MLive (which in partnership with Amway created and sponsored the contest), was the event’s emcee and invited each winner to present their words and address the audience. Winner Brandon Helder further shared his affinity for words as he read a poem he created as his acceptance speech. Aron Wheeler’s award was accepted by his young daughter Abbie who indicated she thought her dad did a good job.
The winning six word combinations will be featured on local billboards beginning October 31st. Each winner also received a special “Ultimate GR Prize Package” of local goods and entertainment opportunities, valued at $10,000.
In a further extension of the project, The Grand Rapids Public Museum has opened a new MyGR6 interactive exhibit. Created by Storytelling Pictures, the exhibit allows visitors to rearrange words on a big screen, creating their own giant work of word art. The exhibit will be open through the end of the year.
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