West Palm Beach earns 23 Sunsational Awards for outstanding community events and creative campaigns

West Palm Beach, Florida – The City of West Palm Beach has added another major set of honors to its growing list of community event achievements, earning 23 awards from the Florida Festivals & Events Association during this year’s Sunsational Awards.

The recognitions were presented August 14 as part of the association’s 32nd Annual Convention & Expo. The annual event celebrates work by organizations across Florida in areas ranging from event marketing and programming to customer service, creativity and innovation.

West Palm Beach received first-, second- and third-place awards across a variety of categories, with several of the city’s best-known events earning recognition for everything from promotional materials and social media to event design and collaboration.

“Events play an important role in shaping West Palm Beach’s identity,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James. “They bring people together, support local businesses, showcase our waterfront and neighborhoods, and create shared experiences that strengthen our community. These statewide recognitions reflect the dedication of our events team and the continued collaboration of the vendors, partners, and sponsors who help make these experiences possible.”

The Florida Festivals & Events Association, known as FFEA, received more than 600 submissions for this year’s Sunsational Awards. Entries were evaluated in 20 categories and across three budget levels, allowing organizations of different sizes to compete.

Judges considered factors such as innovation, individuality and creative collaboration. The competition included marketing work involving signage, social media, public relations, promotional products and other materials connected to public events.

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More than 50 organizations representing more than 200 events were recognized during the awards program, putting West Palm Beach among a large group of Florida communities and event organizers recognized for their work.

The city’s Community Events Division collected 12 first-place awards, four second-place awards and seven third-place awards. The division is led by Marketing and Community Events Manager Angela Poco.

The awards covered eight individual events and additional work carried out by West Palm Beach Community Events as a whole. The recognized programs included 4th on Flagler, Holiday in Paradise, Clematis by Night, Clematis by Fright, the West Palm Beach GreenMarket, Soul in the City, Winter in Paradise and Nights in Northwood.

Several of the city’s most recognizable seasonal and recurring events stood out in the results.

Holiday in Paradise was one of the strongest performers, collecting first-place awards in five categories. The event won for its brochure, tickets, Instagram presence, T-shirt and signage. It also received third place for Facebook.

4th on Flagler earned four awards, including first place for its promotional mailer. The event also received second-place awards for its T-shirt and photo, along with third place for its photo opportunity.

The West Palm Beach GreenMarket also received recognition for its digital outreach, taking first place for Facebook and second place for Instagram.

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Clematis by Night, another established part of the city’s events calendar, earned first place for its promotional poster. It also received second place for its promotional mailer and third place for its promotional video.

Clematis by Fright, the city’s Halloween-themed event, earned first place for its promotional mailer and third place for its T-shirt.

Soul in the City received two honors, including first place in the multi-agency program category and third place for radio.

Nights in Northwood earned a first-place award as Best New Event, giving the newer community program a particularly notable recognition among the city’s results.

Winter in Paradise also received an award, taking third place for its promotional mailer.

The city’s Community Events program earned two additional awards outside the individual event categories. West Palm Beach Community Events received first place for radio and third place for installations.

Taken together, the awards show how much of the work behind a public event takes place before people ever arrive. Promotional campaigns, social media, signage, photography, videos and other materials can play a major role in attracting visitors and helping residents learn about what is happening in their community.

Poco said the work is about more than simply filling a weekend calendar.

“Community events are about more than ‘something to do over the weekend,’” said Poco. “They are the foundation of what makes a community worth spending time in, whether you are a resident or a visitor. I am so proud of our community events team, which promotes and executes more than 100 events each year with creativity, precision, and passion. These recognitions reflect their hard work and dedication.”

The volume of events handled by the city’s Community Events Division also helps put the 23 awards into perspective. According to Poco, the team promotes and executes more than 100 events each year, meaning the work recognized by FFEA represents only part of the division’s broader responsibilities.

The range of awards also reflects the different audiences and purposes of West Palm Beach’s event calendar. Some programs focus on music and entertainment, while others center on holidays, food, community gatherings or seasonal activities.

The city said the recognition also highlights the role of vendors, sponsors and other partners who help produce the events. Large public gatherings require coordination among many groups, from city staff and event organizers to outside businesses and community partners.

For West Palm Beach, the Sunsational Awards provide statewide recognition of that effort. Rather than honoring only one large event, this year’s awards span a collection of programs held throughout the city and across different times of the year.

The recognition comes as West Palm Beach continues to use community events as a way to bring residents and visitors into public spaces, support local businesses and highlight different parts of the city.

Residents and visitors looking for information about upcoming West Palm Beach Community Events can find event details through the city’s official resources. Information is available at www.wpb.org/events, while questions can also be directed to the Community Events Division at (561) 822-1515.

With 23 Sunsational Awards now added to its record, the city has another statewide acknowledgment of the work that goes into creating and promoting its public events. The honors recognize individual campaigns and programs, but city officials say the larger achievement lies in creating experiences that bring people together and give residents and visitors another reason to spend time in West Palm Beach.