Annual Awards

Your Opportunity to Shine!

The Annual Awards Program highlights your sister city program's achievements and brings international recognition to your community's contributions to the citizen diplomacy movement. Sister Cities International established the Annual Awards Program in 1962 to recognize exceptional sister city programs. Current dues-paying members of Sister Cities International with at least one formally recognized sister city partnership can apply for the Awards. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

This year, sister city programs and volunteers were nominated for achievements made in 2012 in the following categories: Best Overall Program, Innovation, Volunteer of the Year, and Youth Leadership. A three-member judging panel deliberated to select the winners. The winners are:

Best Overall Program (based on population):

  • Best Overall Program (Population less than 25,000): Bandera County, Texas    
  • Best Overall Program (Population between 25,001 – 50,000): Prescott, Arizona
  • Best Overall Program (Population between 50,001 – 100,000): Lakeland, Florida
  • Best Overall Program (Population between 100,001 – 300,000): Tempe, Arizona          
  • Best Overall Program (Population between 300,001 – 500,000): Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Best Overall Program (Population greater than 500,001): Indianapolis, Indiana

Innovation Awards (based on population and in the thematic areas of: Arts & Culture, Economic Development, Energy/Sustainable Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and Youth & Education):

  • Innovation: Arts & Culture (Population less than 100,000): Lakeland, Florida
  • Innovation: Arts & Culture (Population between 100,001-500,000): Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Innovation: Arts & Culture (Population greater than 500,001): Chicago, Illinois
  • Innovation: Economic Development (Population greater than 500,001): Phoenix, Arizona
  • Innovation: Energy/Sustainable Dev (Population greater than 500,001): San Antonio, Texas
  • Innovation: Humanitarian Assistance (Population greater than 500,001): Fort Worth, Texas
  • Innovation: Youth & Education (Population less than 100,000): Suffolk, Virginia
  • Innovation: Youth & Education (Population greater than 500,001): Santa Clara County, California

Dana K. Kelly of Lakeland, Florida and Caroline Cole of Hot Springs, Arkansas were honored in the Volunteer of the Year and Youth Leadership Award categories respectively.

Winners will be honored at the 57th Sister Cities International Annual Conference’s exclusive Lou Wozar Annual Awards Banquet on July 13, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency, San Antonio, Texas. CONGRATULATIONS!

“ Receiving an Annual Award acted as a stimulus for recognizing our members for all of their time and dedication towards the sister cities movement. We gained much desired recognition through our local community" - a past Annual Award winner