Unveiling the 2021 Voice of the People Award Winners

by Guest Author on October 13, 2021

-By Julia Steege-Reimann-

National Research Center (NRC) at Polco and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) proudly unveil the winners and finalists of the 2021 Voice of the People (VOP) Awards!

The Voice of the People Awards (VOP) are the only awards given in local government based on the opinion of community residents.

Like previous years, award-winning communities have exceptionally high or impressively improved rankings on The National Community Survey™ (The NCS™). Winners and finalists may also have shown the best use of online engagement with the Polco platform. They all show evidence of taking smart actions based on survey data.

This year we also had new awards based specifically on challenges local governments faced in 2020. New awards include topics such as Excellence in COVID-19 Engagement, Equity and Inclusion Engagement, and Online Outreach.

“I’m really excited about these new VOP categories. These local governments are reaching more residents online than they ever did hosting in-person events. And they are making really intentional decisions by engaging in frequent communication with community members,” said Angelica Wedell, Director of Marketing and Communications for Polco.

Once nominated, jurisdictions had the opportunity to submit an application describing actions they took in response to their survey data. A panel of judges selected winners based on how well the cities showcased those thoughtful efforts.

“We were so impressed with this year’s Voice of the People Winners and Finalists. They are true leaders in engaging their residents as we navigate our way through this unprecedented year,” said Damema Mann, Director of National Engagement for Polco.

The 2021 Voice of the People Awards were presented at the Annual ICMA Conference in Portland, Oregon.