This award is presented to the best use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
This is awarded one per each region and among those, an international winner is selected.
Each agency may submit only ONE entry.
Criteria for selection:
- Frequency of updates
- Content
- Innovation
- Engagement
- Effectiveness
2024 Winners
International and Region 4
Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles
Social Media Influencer Spurs Historic Colorado Contest Success
The highly successful Historic Colorado Contest, which invited Coloradans to commemorate the state's 150th anniversary through a license plate design competition, received substantial coverage in traditional media. However, in an unprecedented move, the Colorado DMV teamed up with a social media influencer to connect with many Coloradans beyond the reach of conventional news outlets. In this groundbreaking partnership, the DMV joined forces with Ethan Craft, known amongst his followers as Ethan the License Plate Guy. This inaugural collaboration with an online influencer was a resounding success, engaging millions of Coloradans who would otherwise remain outside the purview of traditional media outlets. Craft, who uses the handle @LicensePlateTok, shared four videos promoting the design contest and the subsequent voting process. The initial video showcases Craft designing his license plate contest entry. On both TikTok and Instagram, the collaboration garnered over 8.1 million total views, 2,602 total comments, and 1,307,858 total likes. The DMV paid less than $250 for the collaboration. Additionally, the DMV communications team produced 17 promotional videos, which were shared throughout the year on social network channels. With the addition of a social media campaign, the contest saw impressive participation numbers, including 312 submissions from 216 entrants in two contest divisions and over 35,000 votes. Additionally, three of the five finalists credited the influencer as the reason they entered the contest, including one of the winners. The winning design became the fastest-selling specialty license plate in Colorado history, selling 5,700 license plates in its first two months of availability (August and September 2023).
Region 1
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles
"I Got My License" Social Media Campaign
In August of 2022, the NH DMV launched a new initiative to best capture that special moment when a person receives their first license at the DMV. Backdrops, which include numerous DMV Logos and the “I Got My License!” banner at the top were hung in all 14 DMV locations throughout the state. These backdrops have made for an exciting customer experience when people successfully receive their first license and the photos of these magic moments have been the driving force behind incredible gains in followers on the DMV Facebook Page over the past year. Examiners ask the new driver/parent/guardian if they wish to take a photo in front of the backdrop, and a consent form is completed to allow the pictures to be posted to the NH DMV social media platforms. The posts only include the new driver’s first name along with their picture. The NH DMV posted 187 posts of “I GOT MY LICENSE!” pictures, which resulted in 2,626 likes, 92 comments and 85 shares. In comparison, a year, and a half ago, the NH DMV had approximately 200 followers on Facebook and currently has 1.8 thousand.
Region 2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
America's Best Looking Cruiser Social Media Contest for LE Recruitment
In July 2023, FHP (FLHSMV) entered the national American Association of State Troopers Best Looking Cruiser Competition. This contest has run for ten years and is an excellent way for different states to use the platform to recruit new law enforcement and engage in their community. Florida had never won the competition, and as a state, they are always trying to recruit the best law enforcement has to offer to join the FLHSMV family. They only invested 10k on social media advertising and created the rest of the material themselves. It started with a picture that a trooper submitted, taken it in front of Gatorland in Orlando. They decided to approach the competition by actively engaging the competition. They also developed a coloring page that encouraged the kids in the community to color and turn in for a coloring contest. Initially, Kentucky State Police was beating everyone by a margin so high it seemed impossible. They decided to engage Kentucky with humor, and filmed a sasquatch eating KFC, telling Kentucky, "we would eat them for breakfast." They responded the next day with a video of their own, and then all the other states also began participating. This was a great recruitment tool, with even other law enforcement agencies in Florida getting involved. In the year prior, FHP (FLHSMV) had only earned 23,000 votes. This year, they came in first with over 180,000 votes, the highest number in history.
Region 3
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of State Patrol
Wisconsin State Patrol Recruitment Campaign
In response to a nationwide shortage of candidates for law enforcement positions, the Wisconsin State Patrol, a division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, launched a robust social media campaign in 2023. The State Patrol recruitment team worked with the agency’s communication’s office to create various media to target anyone interested in law enforcement to join the agency as a trooper or inspector. To illustrate that state troopers and inspectors come from all walks of life and different backgrounds, the agency created graphics depicting current troopers and their hobbies or passions. Seven of the 13 graphics featured female troopers or inspectors. The graphics were presented on the State Patrol’s Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages on a weekly basis from April through June 2023. In this same timeframe, additional posts strategically focused on updates on the current recruit class during its time in the 26-week academy training. These updates were designed to show our followers the comprehensive training the cadets are required to partake in and to encourage potential applicants to apply. To demonstrate all the different types of jobs new hires can pursue within the State Patrol, the agency also created several videos. These videos highlighted various law enforcement positions in the agency. After the initial recruitment deadline ended in July, the State Patrol pursued lateral transfer recruitment for the first time in agency history. The goal of this recruitment period was to attract officers from other law enforcement agencies to transfer to the State Patrol. On the Wisconsin State Patrol Facebook page alone, organic recruitment campaign posts from April through September resulted in 10,313 reactions, 2,492 comments, 834 shares, 1,773,511 impressions, 1,709,790 reach, and 131,098 engagements. Facebook ads, with a total budget of only $900, resulted in 663 reactions, 63 comments, 109 shares, 208,588 impressions, 79,518 reach, 35,235 engagements, and 5,839 link clicks. The lateral transfer recruitment was very successful, with 112 total applicants.