Cenex^® Hometown Throwdown

The Cenex^® Hometown Throwdown is a giveback competition that highlights one of the unique events that every community has a connection to – its local festival. The competition continues our tradition of giving back to the communities we call home by awarding $150K to support local festivals.

Watch the video

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Competition overview

The second annual Hometown Throwdown contest is now open for entries until February 7, 2025! The contest invites individuals and organizations to nominate their hometown festival by sharing what makes their celebrations unique. This year, Cenex will award a total of $150K to five qualifying festivals, with the grand prize winner receiving $100K.

How it works

Call for entries (currently open)

January 7 – February 7, 2025

Enter your festival at CenexHometownThrowdown.com
Voting for the best

May 1 – 31, 2025

Five festival finalists will be announced for you to vote which fest is best to win the $100k grand prize at CenexHometownThrowdown.com
And the winners are...

Announcing June 17, 2025

The grand prize winner will receive $100k, second place will receive $20K, third place will receive $15K, fourth place will receive $10K and fifth place will receive $5K

Past festival winners

We're proud to honor and celebrate our past Hometown Throwdown winners, whose passion and creativity have played a pivotal role in making the Hometown Throwdown a cherished tradition. Their community pride inspires local festivals across the country!

Watch 2024 winner announcement

Soybean Festival

Norborne, Missouri comes alive for the Norborne Soybean Festival, a cherished celebration of community and agriculture.

Musky Festival

In Hayward, Wisconsin, the Musky Festival is a beloved annual event that celebrates the region’s rich fishing heritage, particularly its reputation as a premier destination for musky fishing.

Fall Harvest Festival

In Roseau, Minnesota, the Fall Harvest Festival is an annual celebration that brings the community together to mark the end of the harvest season and the onset of autumn.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow the journey as we celebrate community pride and togetherness through local festivals! Join us as we share the stories and spirit of the Hometown Throwdown—let's keep the connection alive! #HometownThrowdown #Cenex #PoweredLocally

Frequently asked questions

Follow the steps below to enter their festival from January 7 – February 7, 2025.

Visit CenexHometownThrowdown.com

Submit a photo or video of your town’s fest

Write a short description of what makes your fest best
To be eligible, festivals must be run by a local chamber of commerce, municipality, downtown commission, community-oriented non-profit group or similar organization. Festivals must take place in the following states: AR, CO, ID, IA, IL, KS, MI, MN, MT, MO, NE, ND, OK, OR, SD, TX, WA, WI and WY.
The festival that receives the highest number of votes from eligible voters will receive the $100,000 grand prize, the festival with the second highest number of votes from eligible voters will receive $20,000, the festival with the third highest number of votes from eligible voters will receive $15,000, the festival with the fourth highest number of votes from eligible voters will receive $10,000, the festival with the fifth highest number of votes from eligible voters will receive $5,000.
Nominated festivals will be reviewed by a panel, who will focus on the specific criteria below (as noted in the terms and conditions), to select the top five finalists:

Eligibility Criteria: Nominated Festivals that meet each of the designated eligibility criteria as outlined above;

Best Fest (50%): Entrant’s description of why their local hometown festival or event is the “Best Fest” including submissions and associated Festivals that are deemed to be the best at promoting or fostering civic pride and unite local residents, along with any determination of the festival or event as being original, unique and creative;

Benefit to Festival (25%): Entrant’s description of how or why Cenex can help make it better with a grant;

Positive representation of #PoweredLocally and Cenex® (25%): Nominated Festival and associated submission that best represents the local community, Sponsor’s brand image, Sponsor’s product and the #PoweredLocally theme in a positive manner.
The local chamber of commerce, municipality, downtown commission, community-oriented non-profit group or similar organization for the top five festivals will be notified via phone and/or email beginning on or about February 28, 2025.
Eligible voters can visit CenexHometownThrowdown.com to register and vote for their favorite festival between May 1 – 31, 2025.
Voters shall be allowed to submit a maximum of one vote per person during the entire voting period.
All winners will be revealed in June 2025.
You can find the official Hometown Throwdown rules on CenexHometownThrowdown.com.
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