The Port of Tacoma’s 2018 centennial celebration earned five awards from the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 53^rd annual Communications Awards Program.

The Port picked up an award for every entry submitted for this annual competition: three Awards of Excellence (first place) for the Port of Tacoma Centennial Campaign in the overall campaign category, the 1918: A Year of Destiny in the video category, and the Port of Tacoma Centennial Story Map in the social media category.

The Port also earned an Award of Distinction (second place) for the Port Centennial Container and an Award of Merit (third place) for its Centennial Magazine in the miscellaneous category.

“Celebrating the Port’s centennial anniversary was an exciting milestone for all of us. During our ‘100 years in 100 days’ celebration, we connected with a wide range of citizens and audiences around Pierce County,” said Port of Tacoma Commission President Clare Petrich. “These awards from AAPA are a testament to the outstanding work of our many talented Port staff and partners throughout our community who helped us tell our story.”

JayRay, the International Longshore and Warehouse Unions Local 22 and Local 23, Tacoma Historical Society, the Foss Waterway Seaport, Print NW and Kel-Tech Plastics are just a few of the companies and organizations who helped the Port develop and produce many of the centennial projects and products.

One of the most popular items was the Port Centennial Container, which we used in our outreach efforts to educate the public at events including the Washington State Fair, Maritime Fest, the Consular Association Reception and the City of Lakewood’s annual Truck & Tractor Day.

The 2019 AAPA Communications Awards Program utilized 32 professional public relations practitioners from the Washington, D.C., area who cumulatively spent 128 hours over two weeks judging the 15 classifications of entries, ranging from advertisements, periodicals, videos and websites, to social media and overall campaigns.

About AAPA

Founded in 1912 and recognized as the unified voice of seaports in the Americas, AAPA today represents 130 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 200 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports. According to IHS Markit’s World Trade Service, combined international sea trade moving through Western Hemisphere ports in 2017 totaled 4.303 billion metric tons in volume and US$2.675 trillion in value. Of that total, ports in Central and South America handled 1.741 billion metric tons of cargo valued at US$1.024 trillion, while North American ports handled 1.90 billion metric tons of goods, valued at US$2.305 trillion. To meet the growing demand for trade, the AAPA and its members are committed to keeping seaports navigable, secure and sustainable. For more information, visit www.aapa-ports.org.

About the Port of Tacoma

The Port of Tacoma is an economic engine for South Puget Sound. More than 29,000 jobs are generated by port activity, which also provides $195 million per year in state and local taxes to support education, roads and police and fire protection for our community. As a partner in The Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Port of Tacoma is also a major cargo gateway to Asia and Alaska.