(Sept. 29) Northwest Public Power Association announced the winners of the 32nd Excellence in Communications Awards contest last Wednesday at the association’s Northwest Innovations in Communications Conference in Whitefish, Montana. This annual contest honors the best communications efforts made by NWPPA member utilities and associations.
“We’re incredibly grateful to all 48 NWPPA members who submitted a record-breaking 283 entries in this year’s Excellence in Communications Awards contest,” said 2025 NIC Conference Chair Cameron Daline of Clark Public Utilities. “Congratulations to our winners, who exemplify the highest standards of communications excellence and inspire us all to elevate our craft.”
Contestants were divided into four groups based on the amount of electricity they sell, with Group A selling the least and Group D selling the most. Nine marketing and communications professionals from throughout the Northwest volunteered their time to judge the entries. All
first-, second-, and third-place winners are listed at the end of this release.
In addition to the Excellence in Communications awards, NWPPA presented the 2025 Overall Excellence in Communications Award to Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative (Port Orford, Ore.). Winners of the award are determined based on performance in the Excellence in Communications contest. Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative received two first-place awards, four second-place awards, and an average score of 44.4 out of 50 points. Kelsey Bozeman accepted the award on behalf of the utility.
NWPPA also announced the People’s Choice Awards in photography winners, determined by the votes of NIC Conference attendees. Sun River Electric Cooperative (Fairfield, Mont.) won Best Photo – Employee, Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative won Best Photo – Youth, and Golden Valley Electric Association (Fairbanks, Alaska) won Best Photo – Miscellaneous.
The Excellence in Communications Awards will next be presented at the NIC Conference on Sept. 23, 2026, at The Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center in Walla Walla, Washington. More details about the 2026 NIC Conference will be available soon at www.nwppa.org/nic.
Download the full press release, including a list of winners, here.