Drought Safe San Diego Program Honored at 2022 CAPIO EPIC Awards
The San Diego County Water Authority received two awards at the 2022 California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) EPIC Awards competition for California public agency communication programs.
The Water Authority’s “Drought Safe San Diego” public outreach campaign won an EPIC Award (first place) for Communications or Marketing Plans/Campaigns – In-House; and an Award of Distinction for Video Production – Promotional – In House.
Judges called the overall campaign effort very impressive. “A thorough campaign. Impressive numbers to back up the messaging. Definitely great work and the campaign achieved its goal.”
Judges praised the use of Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and popular San Diego iHeartMedia radio personalities to connect with the community and highlight critically important conservation messages.
“Great backstory. I really like this campaign. this one really helped me understand that the improvements made were helping capacity, but that there was still a strong need to conserve.”
“Loved the thorough planning process you put into this project. Great use of influencers. Great campaign and kudos to SDC Water Authority for thinking ahead.”
EPIC Awards Honor Work With A Lasting Impact
The Water Authority’s outreach effort drew significant national media attention, including the New York Times. Photo: New York Times/screenshot
The CAPIO EPIC Awards recognize the “best of the best” in government communications throughout the state. Winning entries demonstrate the most creative and effective efforts in communication and marketing campaigns, newsletter production, photography, special events, writing, website development, and video production.
The EPIC Awards honor work that made a lasting impact, providing an equal chance of winning to all entrants regardless of company or agency size and project budget. Entries are assessed on research and planning efforts which display an understanding of audience objectives and needs for information; development and execution; and how successfully the entrant organization achieves its objectives.
Drought-Safe San Diego
“Drought-Safe San Diego” also received an Award of Excellence at the 2022 APEX Awards. APEX 22 recognizes excellence in publishing by professional communicators. The campaign was honored in “Campaigns, Programs, and Plans – Public Service.” APEX 22 received more than 1,200 entries worldwide in 14 categories.
The Water Authority is a previous CAPIO EPIC Award winner in the Website category for the Water News Network, which has also won the Best Public Service or Consumer Advocacy Website category for four years in a row from the San Diego Press Club Journalism Awards.
(Editor’s note: The San Diego County Water Authority sustains a $240 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, major infrastructure investments and forward-thinking policies that promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. The Water Authority works closely with its 24 member agencies to provide safe, reliable water service to the region.)
