2020 Awards of Excellence Finalists |
The EDCO Awards of Excellence is an annual program coordinated through the EDCO Awards Committee and aims to seek distinctive ideas and initiatives that can become economic development best practices of the future.
In total, we received 105 entries from communities and organizations across Ontario. A judging panel with expertise in marketing, communications, tourism, workforce development and industrial/commercial development met via Zoom in November to evaluate each entry.
Entries were scored on the ability of the entries to meet their objectives and reach a target audience, return on investment, and uniqueness. Entries were required to meet a minimum score threshold to be chosen as a finalist; as a result, awards are not necessarily given for every category.
Throughout the judging process, judges were encouraged to watch for new, innovative, and extraordinary initiatives to be considered for the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Economic Development Excellence (formerly known as the Best of Show Award). This year, two initiatives were endorsed. The winner will be announced along with individual leadership awards such as Young Influencer of the Year and Community Influencer of the Year.
Everyone has felt the impact of the current pandemic and it has been extremely difficult for so many. EDCO wants to extend our deepest gratitude to all applicants for your outstanding efforts. Ontarians have stepped up, sacrificed, and made a difference. To capture this, we added a new award for "Innovation in Community Resiliency". Our judges agreed that each entry was a direct representation of the innovative measures undertaken to promote resiliency and sustainability. To show our appreciation, there will be a special recognition in the New Year for everyone who applied.
Thank you again to all applicants and congratulations to this year's finalists! We are proud to celebrate your leadership in the profession as you continue to elevate economic development practices in Ontario.
The 2020 EDCO Awards of Excellence Finalists, in alphabetical order are:
For a list of previous year's EDCO Award winners, click here.