Our communications staff recently received a combined seven awards at two national conferences, recognizing achievements in news media, social media, video production, web design, graphic art, and multicultural outreach.
On the same night they received the Golden Post Award at the Government Social Media conference hosted in Orlando, they received awards in six categories at the National Association of Government Communicators annual conference hosted in Pittsburgh.
Those are in addition to a Northwest Regional Emmy Award and three nominations.
“We’re fortunate to have a high-performing team of communication professionals who help the public appreciate the impressive work performed each day by our employees, reinforcing our reputation as trusted environmental stewards,” said DNRP Director John Taylor. “The multiple national awards affirm their unique ability to take overlooked achievements by our workforce and make them accessible to the people we serve.”
Digital Media Coordinator Marie Tweedy’s organic social media campaign promoting Salmon SEEson – which has so far been viewed more than 17 million times – was honored at both national events, including the most prestigious award for government sector social media.
Judges comment:
“A well-constructed creative campaign that combines trends for videos and eye-catching graphics. The application is well written and very detailed.”
At the 48th annual NAGC conference, a public campaign showing how our researchers partnered with communities to make it safer for immigrants and refugees to fish won second place for multicultural communications. The campaign was coordinated by Deputy Public Affairs Manager Stephanie Guzman-Barrera and Water and Land Resources Division Communications Manager Saffa Bardaro.
Judge’s comment:
“Your summary effectively highlights the unique and impactful storytelling opportunity, showcasing how the partnership with immigrant and refugee communities led to valuable insights on untested lakes, shorelines, and fish. The approach of creating a documentary-style video and translating it into multiple languages demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and ensuring the message reaches a diverse audience.”
The news release announcing the results of King County’s largest-ever floodplain restoration, which features photos, videos, graphic illustrations, and a proximity map, won first place. Senior Web Designer Fred Bentler designed the content generated by Media Relations Coordinator Doug Williams and Public Affairs Manager Chad Lewis.
Judge’s comment:
“Kudos on your multi-pronged approach and attention to the needs of reporters. Making the lives of journalists easier by providing clear information and visual resources pays off. Good job outlining clear goals … The photos, maps and video are high quality. The enhancements to the press release and communications planning put you over the top for me.”
A feature video by Multimedia Specialist Ken Christensen showing how our Wastewater Treatment Division successfully recruited and trained a new generation of highly skilled operators won a Northwest Regional Emmy Award and first place Blue Pencil Award for informational video. It previously won an award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
Judge’s comment:
“This project is excellent. The video is great, and really, just so unexpected! Jim’s personality shines through, and it’s easy to see why people would be passionate to follow in his footsteps. The whole project is such an excellent idea, and the way it’s being implemented is admirable. Moreover, the way the video was utilized to its full potential, the way it’s structured and presented, and the low production cost make it so worth the investment. To top it off, the solid, measurable outcomes are impressive.”
First place for graphic arts went to a visual design style guide for our Wastewater Treatment Division coordinated by Communications Manager Alison Hawkes and executed by Senior Visual Designer Wendy Gable Collins of KCIT’s Visual Design Team.
Judge’s comments:
Wow! Developing new branding for an organization is a monumental effort. I was floored by the visual variety, flexibility of the products, leveraging graphics, color, and photography, and the thought process behind your effort. I would recommend furthering this effort across all of your King County departments to make a unified effort. Well done and this entry stands as a model for re-branding efforts!
Tracks, an interactive map of environmental achievements by the Department of Natural Resources and Parks designed by Senior Visual Designer Andrea Rouleau and Public Affairs Manager Chad Lewis, won second place for digital publication.
Judge’s comment:
“This is one of the best examples of effective storytelling I’ve seen in a long time! Beautiful work! Images are captivating, videos are compelling, content is clear and provides just enough detail to be informative without being overwhelming. … Congratulations on creating an excellent resource!”
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