Whether you’ve lived here for a month or 10 years, Miami is a city that is constantly revealing itself.  I’ve spent a lifetime walking, biking and driving this city, and I still find new layers and neighborhoods, people and ideas that make me look at my hometown in new ways.

I thought about this as I watched the videos for the five Knight Arts Challenge People’s Choice Award nominees. They have a shot at winning $20,000 in a text-to-vote campaign that is open through this Friday, Nov. 15.

Each has a story to tell. There’s  a program in Allapattah, a neighborhood I covered in my former job as a reporter, that is helping disadvantaged kids find their voice; the playwright whose work I enjoyed a decade ago, now bringing another Miami story to stage; filmmakers in Wynwood who are building a community of indie storytellers; a bookseller in Little Haiti who wants to bring more Haitian and diaspora writers to Miami. And this: Puppets!

You can watch a short video of each at knightarts.org/peopleschoice, or you can watch the Cliffs Notes’ version – a one minute summary of all five – in the video above.

It only takes a few minutes to watch, enjoy, vote and help make an artist’s dream come true.

Happy voting.

– Marika Lynch