The votes are in from the 2026 Tournament of Neighboring offered in partnership with the Hopeful Neighborhood Project and National Good Neighbor Day .  The brackets are closed but after a month of friendly competition and community participation, the very first   Tournament of Neighboring   has crowned its champion. Out of 64 meaningful and practical acts of neighboring submitted, one rose to the top:  Learn the Names of Eight Neighbors. At first glance, it might seem almost too simple. No grand event. No large-scale project. No budget required. Just names. And yet, that simplicity is exactly why it won. The Power of a Name There is something deeply human about being known. In a world where many people feel invisible—even on their own street—learning someone’s name is a powerful act of recognition. It says,  “You matter. You belong here.” We often think neighboring requires big gestures: organizing block parties, launching neighborhood watches, or coordinating ...

  Something fun is about to happen. We’ve taken 64 different neighboring activities and turned them into a March-Madness-style tournament bracket . Over the coming weeks, people will vote, debate, and ultimately crown a “champion” neighboring activity. You can vote in different rounds online . But before the first matchup even begins, something interesting has already happened.  People from around the nation submitted actions for the bracket a month earlier. And when you look closely at the full list of 64 ideas, you begin to see patterns. The list reveals some important truths about how neighboring actually works in real life. And perhaps the most encouraging lesson is this:  Neighboring is simpler than most people think. Neighboring Happens in Small Moments Many of the activities on the list are incredibly simple: Coffee chats. Delivering flowers. Writing thank-you notes. Inviting a neighbor for a walk. Putting out a water bowl for neighborhood dogs. These are not large...

  Every March, millions of Americans fill out brackets, debate upsets, and watch every buzzer-beater of March Madness . But this year, we’re inviting you to join a different kind of tournament—one that happens much closer to home. Welcome to the Tournament of Neighboring . Instead of college basketball teams, this bracket features 64 simple acts of neighborliness —small, practical things anyone can do to make their street a friendlier place. Think driveway conversations, sharing baked goods, helping with a small chore, welcoming a new resident, or inviting someone for a walk. The format is familiar and fun. Just like March Madness, neighboring ideas compete in head-to-head matchups, and you help decide which ones advance. But here’s the difference: in this tournament, everyone wins —because every idea on the bracket helps build stronger neighborhoods. How the Tournament Works The full neighboring bracket was revealed on Sunday, March 15 .  From there, the neighboring ideas ad...