Huntington was named as one of eight finalists Wednesday afternoon during the America’s Best Communities Summit in Durham, North Carolina.

The competition, held by Frontier Communications, DISH Network, CoBank and The Weather Channel, seeks to stimulate growth and revitalizations in small cities and rural towns according to a recent release from the organization.

Huntington and the seven other finalists will be awarded $100,000 to implement the strategies presented at the summit.

According to a release from the city, the Huntington Innovation Project (HIP) will focus on struggling neighborhoods, manufacturing and bringing high-speed broadband to the city. Details of the HIP plan can be found on the city’s website.

The city will have 11 months to begin implementing those plans. The top three communities will be announced in April 2017 and will win $3 million, $2 million and $1 million respectively.

There will be a “welcome home” celebration for the city’s ABC leadership team at 10:15 a.m. Thursday at the Tri-State Airport.

Clara Maynard can be contacted at [email protected].