2025 Award Recipients
Nominations for the 2026 Awards of Excellence are now open
- The nomination must be for an outstanding person, event or project in one of three areas of education, tourism or revitalization. The project must have taken place within the boundaries of the MotorCities National Heritage Area in Michigan. If nominating an individual, they must be connected to a project in the heritage area.
- Nominations must be submitted using the forms and format provided. Please submit the materials electronically. No paper or email submissions will be accepted.
- Nominations will be judged on quality, not volume. Tell the story of your project! Do not assume that jurors are already familiar with your nominee.
- You are asked for the address of the nominee/project. This is to confirm that the project is within the MotorCities Heritage Area. The address will also advise on your current state senator and representative, so that they can be invited to the ceremony to recognize the nominee.
- Include at least one photograph depicting the place or person you are nominating, If your nomination is a revitalization project, include both “before and after” photos. There is an option for one additional support item. If you would like to submit multiple items, they should be combined into one PDF file (max 10MB).
- Self-nominations are acceptable.
- If selected, the nominee must be available to receive the award as part of an awards presentation on Oct 1 on Livonia, MI (location will be shared with attendees at a later date) at 11:00 AM
- Nominations are open to ALL projects spanning the last 3 years.
- Deadline for nominations is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026.
For more information, contact the MotorCities Deputy Director: Brian Yopp at 313-259-3425 x 307 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Timeline:
July 27 - Nominations open
August 28 - Nominations Close
September 11 - Finalists Announced
October 1 - Awards Ceremony in Livonia, MI
Click here to revisit the 2025 Awards of Excellence
Our 2025 MotorCities' Awards of Excellence Luncheon took place June 4 at the Stellantis Conner Center in Detroit.
To see a photo album from the luncheon, click here.
The winners were announced in the following categories:
Heritage Tourism -
- Don & Gayle Nicholson of Westland (pictured below, right) for creating and growing the annual Cruisin' Hines event;
Education/Interpretation -
- The Historical Society of Greater Lansing for the I-496 Pave the Way Project;
Revitalization -
- Greg & Kristin Donofrio (pictured above, left) for the Phoenix Mill restoration in Plymouth.
In addition, MotorCities presented its highest honor, the Milestone Award, to Ford Motor Company's Corporate Historian Emeritus Robert Kreipke (pictured at left). For over 25 years, Kreipke has served as a project advisor and board member, helping propel MotorCities to become the nationally–recognized experts on preserving and promoting Michigan’s automotive heritage. In addition, he was Chairman of the Board between 2015 and 2019, steering the organization through successful projects like the launching of our highway promotional signs, the creation of the Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park in Detroit, and the celebration of MotorCities' 20th anniversary.
The Stellantis Conner Center is the home of the historic collection of 100 years of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth, DeSoto vehicles, and guests enjoyed the rare opportunity to see these vehicles.