September 8, 2023 – On September 7, 2023, the El Paso County Communications Department was recognized nationally with awards in two categories from the City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) Savvy Awards competition. The Savvy Awards recognize outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing, and resident-government relationships.
With over 875 entries in 38 categories, El Paso County received third place, earning the Award of Excellence, for External Publications for the external newsletter “The Courier,” with the judges stating, “[The publication has a] Clean, modern layout with solid feature stories and integration of high-quality photography and graphics. Love the integration of QR codes into this piece to allow residents the opportunity to dive deeper into topics. This is a well-branded publication!”
The Beyond the Dais podcast took second place, earning the Silver Circle Award, in the category of Digital Interactive – Other Media/Radio/Podcast. The judges stated, “How impressive that you did research for the name and continued to find a way to expand your podcast to gain more listenership. Additionally, being consistent can be tough in government when other projects become a priority, kudos for consistent flow of the podcast.”
“I am immensely proud of our Communications Team for their outstanding achievements,” said El Paso County Administrator Bret Waters. “Winning second place in the Radio/Podcast category for ‘Beyond the Dais’ podcast and third place for ‘The Courier’ in the external publications category is a testament to their dedication, creativity, and professionalism. These national awards underscore the talent and commitment we have within our county. Our community deserves the best, and it’s clear that we have an award-winning staff delivering top-notch communication efforts. Congratulations to the entire team for setting the gold standard for excellence.”
3CMA is a national organization dedicated to helping local governments across the U.S. improve their communication and marketing efforts. Their goal is to promote excellence in public sector communications and to support government professionals in effectively informing and engaging their communities. They offer resources, training, conferences, and the Savvy Awards. 3CMA utilized professional communicators from across the United States as judges who reviewed every entry and provided constructive comments on the winning entries.
The list of all award winners is available online at 3cma.org.