PHOENIX- (March 14, 2019) –A Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC) voter education program targeting Arizona’s Gen Z and Millennial voters, ‘18 in 2018’ is on the short list for a national PRWeek Award, firmly established as the industry’s highest accolade. The CCEC campaign rose to the top from many submissions earning recognition in the category of ‘Best in Public Sector Campaigns’ for the entire United States. CCEC is among a prominent group of nominees including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Procter & Gamble and Covered California a campaign by 70-year old agency Ogilvy. The reveal of the winning campaign in the category is on March 21 in New York.

“This recognition is especially meaningful because this is a highly competitive awards show with the best of the best campaigns from across the country submitting their strongest work,” said Citizens Clean Elections Commission Chairman Mark Kimble.

“Since the onset, our creative partner and collaborator on this campaign, RIESTER, embraced our mission of voter education as a shared purpose,” said Voter Education Director, Gina Roberts. “‘18 in 2018’ was designed to reach the next generation of voters and no matter the outcome on March 21 we know our voter education efforts were successful. The year was a historic one for voter turnout and the impact of this campaign on voters is evident when we look at the numbers.”

As a result of the integrated youth voter education campaign, there were 4,200 intentions to register to vote and the effort is credited with more than 60 percent of visits to the CCEC website. The origins of the campaign came from an idea to capitalize on the last two digits of the year ‘18’ as a way of emphasizing that the legal voting age is 18. Knowing that street art and social media were definite subcultures for this age group and a way to engage this audience the campaign centerpiece, an art installation of 10’ x 10’ multi-colored wings combined with an augmented reality (AR) mobile experience that led people to the CCEC website to register to vote, quickly gained traction. With a few clicks on an app and a unique QR code, the wings begin to move and the person appears to be on the verge of taking flight; and why the mural is called Take Flight, with an implied: with your vote. The mural continues to be hugely popular and will continue to animate with AR through 2019. There have been thousands of pictures and videos taken at Take Flight installed in the Phoenix arts district as well as a popular concert venue in Tucson, Arizona.

The PRWeek Awards are entering their 20th year. They celebrate the best of the best corporate, agency, nonprofit, and education teams, and the work they produced during the entry period. Only 41 trophies are awarded each year, so each one is truly special. Winners will be announced on March 21 at a live event in New York. See the full list of finalists here.

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission was established by Arizona voters to restore citizen participation and confidence in Arizona’s political system, to improve the integrity of State government and to promote freedom of speech under the U.S. and Arizona Constitutions.

View the 18 in 2018/Take Flight Page