March in Macon, Georgia has held a long-standing tradition of seeing the city bloom with pink decor, delicate white blossoms and community pride!  However, this year, Visit Macon, NewTown Macon & Macon Magazine banded together to further rally residents and businesses in advance of this year’s “Pinkest Party on Earth” and are now thrilled to award the winners of this initiative!

#PaintMaconPink is a pink-filled community branding effort to honor the historic International Cherry Blossom Festival and incentivize community pride on full display when visitors made their way to our area this year! It also served as an opportunity to globally market the efforts by documenting the process of making our entire city glow up for the celebration. The Macon-Bibb community, its leaders, Georgia residents, and even corporate brands & celebrators around the world helped us to share their pink creations!  

An application opened to Macon businesses to submit their request for small grants to put toward the purchase of materials, decorations and displays to further their storefront activations and window displays, so that more than ever, Downtown Macon was blossoming with city pride.  A total of 32 businesses were awarded these grants and those and a few other additional businesses were judged by a panel of volunteers for three grand prizes.

The first award is the #PaintMaconPink “Eco-Champion”.  This prize was awarded to the business making the best use of recycled, upcycled and repurposed materials in their decor/display. The winner of the “Eco-Champion” cash prize of $1000 is Macon Area Habitat For Humanity! “Their display at the ReStore location on Holt Ave. somehow turned toilet seats into blossoms and was exactly the spirit of why we added this category.” explains Lucy Hughes, Marketing & Events Manager at Visit Macon. “Mother Nature works hard for us this time of year… we were excited to show our appreciation in return!”

The second award goes to the business that earned the most opps, provides a perfect opportunity for videos, reels, and TikTok creators, gets the most shares across social media channels, and proves to be a festival-favorite across feeds. “We are thrilled to give the $1000 cash prize for the #PaintMaconPink “Show Stopper” to The Vintage Thread for their ‘Pink Poodle Club’ window art and window displays at the corner of 2nd Street and Poplar!” says Hughes.

Lastly, the grand prize of $1500 for the #PaintMaconPink “Best in Show” award was selected to go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Georgia! “The team at the Ronald McDonald House really did a fantastic job showing off their location on Forsyth Avenue during the day and with a vibrant glow-up at night!” explains Hughes. “They also provided judges with a thoughtful backstory to their design concept, how it reflects the mission of their organization and its service to the community of Central Georgia and the families that they serve.”

An excerpt from the RMHC submission is below:

“… three wreaths incorporated into our design symbolize the unity between our organization, the families we serve, and the supportive community that makes our mission possible. Much like a wreath has no beginning or end, the love and generosity of Macon continuously uplift RMHC Central Georgia and the families who rely on us. These wreaths stand as a reminder that everyone who passes by our House—whether attending the festival or seeking comfort in difficult times—is welcome.”

For more information, please contact Visit Macon’s Director of Marketing, Marisa Rodgers, at (478) 743-1074 x106 or email [email protected].