2023 Excellence in Communications Awards 

Call for nominations for the Excellence in Communications Awards!

NOW IS THE TIME TO ENTER YOUR GREAT PROJECT OR NOMINATE SOMEONE YOU THINK DESERVES THE HONOR

Call for Entries

EXTENDED DEADLINE: March 1, 2023

ENTRY  ELIGIBILITY

Any water utility, provider or association currently a member in good standing with PNWS- AWWA is eligible to participate.  Projects must be specific to operations of the utility or provider. Multiple entries by the same utility or agency are encouraged.

WHAT TO ENTER

Outstanding water-related Communications projects which may include:

• Digital, print, photography, video, and/or audio materials
• Education or communication materials
• Communiations about water source concerns 
• Required communication by drinking water regulations (CCR's)
• Tactics or campaigns related to an objective of the agency or utility 
• Communicaitons plans for capital projects, emergency response, etc.

See this document for a detailed list of examples for each category.

Restrictions

• Communications must have substanitally taken place in 2022 calendar 
• Entries not previously submitted for consideration for this award. Submitting a project over multiple years for consideration is not allowed.

AWARDS CATEGORIES:

1- Audio: An audio file, which may have been used in a podcast or radio broadcast or made available for downloading to a computer or mobile device. The entry could be a single audio file or a series of audio files. 

2 -Digital: Digital presentation, report or other type of electronic communications specifically designed for online distribution. Logo used electronically. The entry could include a campaign, be a digital series or a stand-alone item. 

3- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB): Communications effort aimed at DEIB efforts. Work that improves accessibility, or designed to reach a target audience that is hard to reach and/or is an underserved population(s). 

4 - Emergency Crisis Communications: Communications designed to respond to an emergency, mitigate an incident or event, or a response or plan designed to prevent a crisis or damage to a utility’s reputation.  

5 - Internal Communications: Entry could be a stand-alone item or a comprehensive campaign with supporting materials that present information to an organization’s internal audience. 

6 - Integrated Communications Campaigns (formerly called Multi-modal Communications): Efforts that utilize tactics from multiple communication methods (print, digital and audio) or two or more disciplines (public relations and advertising, culturally specific provider and water quality) or a combination (outreach and print). Entries should be a campaign. The entry needs to include items that demonstrate the use of two or more modalities and disciplines. 

7 - Photography: A single photo or a series of photos that were taken or used within the contest year. The photographs could be used to communicate news, document a newsworthy event, and/or be collateral material for a utility communication effort. Photography is judged by the beauty of the art, and how well an image or series of images captures the utility's story. 

8 - Print: Printed material, logo, theme art, or other graphic design product created or revised. Include former examples if redesigned. 

9 - Video: Video production or segment that documents a person, place, event or thing, or places a topic in historical or cultural context.  Please include script if available.

10 - Wildcard: Any communication piece that doesn’t fit any of the previous eight categories can be entered under the Wildcard category.

HOW TO ENTER

Submit an electronic nomination packet which includes the following:

1. Fill out online nomination form.
2. Submit the communications material to Andrea Watson at andrea.watson@tvwd.org If you have materials that are greater than the email limit, please notify Andrea Watson for a shared folder.

ENTRY FEES

$50 entry fee for large utilities (>14,000 connections)

$20 entry fee for small utilities (<14,000 connections)

$20 entry for photoography, regardless of the utility size.

Fees must be received prior to the Entry Deadline for a project to be considered.

Contact Andrea Watson at andrea.watson@tvwd.org with any quesitons about submitting materials or fees.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Submittals are  judged on how well the piece met stated communication goals, the quality of the materials submitted, including the samples and the answers to the entry form questions. Each entry will be judged by criteria, so all entries of good quality will receive an award. The judging categories include: Goal, message, idea, audience, and degree to which the successes of the effort were measurable. The highest scoring entry from all the categories will receive the “Best in Show” award. 

WHO JUDGES THE ENTRIES?

Communication experts on the PNWS-AWWA Committee and from professional communication organziations, such as PRSA, ICMA, WEF will judge this year’s entries.  Committee members will abstain from judging categories that include entries submitted by their own agencies.

ENTRY DEADLINE

All entries must be received on or before February 20, 2023 to be considered.

CELEBRATING WINNING ENTRIES

Nominees will be notified of judged results by March 17, 2023. The winning entries, and the teams who produced the entry, will be celebrated at an awards session at the PNWS-AWWA Conference in Kennewick, WA.

Each winning entry will receive one award certificate at the Section Conference. Plaques may be purchased by the winning teams through a vendor.

Each winning entry will be highlighted during the Awards Ceremony at the PNWS-AWWA Conference in Tacoma, and if winnners are present, they will be given an opportunity to share infromation about their entry.  The awards ceremony will not be part of the continuing education track this year, which will eliminate the need to identify the need to know criteria for your award entry.

Online Nomination Form