News Release
FOR RELEASE - July 18, 2016
Contact: Aaron Ellis, Public Affairs Director, aellis@aapa-ports.org
(703) 684-5700
American Association of Port Authorities
Phone: (202) 792-4033
www.aapa-ports.org
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)…the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas…will recognize 24 seaports for exemplary communications projects and programs at its annual convention and awards luncheon this fall. Winning entrants in AAPA’s 50th annual Communications Awards Program will be recognized at an Oct. 26 awards luncheon in conjunction with AAPA’s 105th Annual Convention and Expo in New Orleans, which runs Oct. 23-26.
The recipients of the 2016 Overall Award of Communications Excellence trophies - the top awards in AAPA's Communications Awards Program - are Port Everglades in Florida (Category 3); St. John's Port Authority in Newfoundland and Labrador (Category 2); and the Port of Grays Harbor in Washington (Category 3). Each of the three categories of ports is based on the size of the port's public relations/advertising/marketing budget.
“When port authorities communicate strategically with their many audiences, including their communities, business leaders and policymakers, they’re better able to show their tremendous value as drivers of economic development, environmental enhancement and job creation,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “This competition helps our member ports by rewarding effective communications and highlighting best practices and lessons learned.”
The 2016 AAPA Communications Awards Program, which had a May 1 deadline for entries, utilized 48 professional public relations practitioners from the Washington, D.C. area who cumulatively spent nearly 200 hours over three weeks judging the 15 classifications of entries, ranging from advertisements and periodicals to videos and websites.
Based on the number of points awarded each entry by the judges, three entries earned an Overall Award of Communications Excellence, 31 entries earned an Award of Excellence, while 46 entries scored an Award of Distinction, and 26 entries received an Award of Merit.
To see all 106 of the winning submissions in the 2016 AAPA Communications Awards Program, click here.
About AAPA
Founded in 1912, AAPA today represents 130 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 200 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports. According to IHS World Trade Service, combined international sea trade moving through Western Hemisphere ports in 2014 totaled 3.48 billion metric tons in volume and US$3.75 trillion in value. Of that total, ports in Central and South America handled 1.68 billion metric tons of cargo valued at US$1.36 trillion, while North American ports handled 1.79 billion metric tons of goods, valued at US$2.39 trillion. To meet the growing demand for trade, the AAPA and its members are committed to keeping seaports navigable, secure and sustainable. For more information, visit www.aapa-ports.org.
