Awards & Honors

APPA's Utility Services awards recognize outstanding business, operations, and service by public power utilities in two categories.

E.F. Scattergood System Achievement: Recognizes a community-owned utility that has enhanced prestige of the American Public Power Association and public power through outstanding service to customers. Apply now.

Sue Kelly Community Service Award: Recognizes a community-owned utility for “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitment of the utility and its employees to enhancing the quality of life of the community it serves. Apply now.

Recent award winners

APPA's Individual Leadership awards recognize utility leadership and contributions to public policy and advocacy in eight categories.

Alex Radin Distinguished Service: Recognizes a utility official who has been involved with the American Public Association for at least 10 years and has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to public power. Apply now.

James D. Donovan Individual Achievement: Recognizes individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to the electric utility industry and to public power. Apply now.

Alan Richardson Statesmanship: Recognizes leaders who have worked tirelessly, on behalf of the American Public Power Association, to forge consensus on national issues affecting public power. Apply now.

Larry Hobart Seven Hats: Recognizes managers of utilities with fewer than 2,500 electric meters, who lead the way in seven areas — planning and design, administration, public relations, field supervision, accounting, human resources, and community involvement. Apply now.

Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service: Recognizes member utility employees who have made significant contributions toward the American Public Power Association’s goals and enhanced its prestige. Apply now.

Spence Vanderlinden Public Official: Recognizes elected or appointed members of utility boards or commissions or public power community mayors who have made contributions to the American Public Power Association’s goals and prestige. Apply now.

Robert E. Roundtree Rising Star: Recognizes an up and coming leader from a public power utility with a $2,000 scholarship to attend American Public Power Association conferences and education programs. Apply now.

Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence: Recognizes managers at any level of a public power utility, joint action agency, or state or regional association who bring their organizations to new levels of excellence; lead by example; and inspire their employees and staff to improve processes, services, and operations. Apply now.

Recent award winners

APPA's Excellence in Public Power Communications awards program recognizes excellence in raising awareness of public power and telling the public power story in three categories. Nomination forms and eligibility criteria will be available when submissions open. Learn more.

Web and Social Media: Includes corporate, program, and campaign websites as well as regular activity and campaigns on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, blogs, podcasts, etc.

Video: Includes videos of 3 minutes or less that are creative, relevant, and widely viewed and shared. Bonus points for in-house production!

Print and Digital: Includes newsletters, bill stuffers, annual reports, advertisements, program/product marketing materials, digital reports, digital marketing

APPA's Public Power Customer Satisfaction Awards recognize municipal utilities for positive performance among several criteria and characteristics evaluated in the core Public Power Data Source (PPDS) survey instrument. To qualify for a Public Power Customer Satisfaction Award, utilities must subscribe to the PPDS. Learn more.

APPA's Safety Awards of Excellence program recognizes public power utilities that prioritize safety in their day-to-day operations. Utilities are presented with Diamond-, Platinum-, and Gold-level designations based on their incident rates and responses to an awards application that reflect the effectiveness of their safety programs. Learn more.

APPA's Honor Roll recognizes employees of public power utilities who have made significant local contributions to public power. Any employee of a member utility with at least 10 years of public power service may be nominated. Apply now.

APPA's Century Award recognizes public power utilities that have provided electricity to their communities for 100 or more years. Nominees must have served their consumers and communities continuously for 100 years and provide proof — in the form of council minutes or newspaper articles from the period, etc. — that indicates the date electricity was first distributed. Apply now.

APPA’s Mutual Aid Commendation Program recognizes utilities that have answered the call for assistance and aided another utility in restoring power to its customers. Apply now.

APPA’s Reliable Public Power (RP3) program is based on industry-recognized leading practices in four important disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. An RP3 designation is a sign of a utility's dedication to operating an efficient, safe, and reliable distribution system. Being recognized by the RP3 program demonstrates to community leaders, governing board members, suppliers, and service providers a utility’s commitment to its employees, customers, and community. Currently, 254 of the nation's more than 2,000 public power utilities hold an RP3 designation. Learn more.

APPA's Smart Energy Provider (SEP) program is a best practices designation for utilities that show commitment to and proficiency in efficiency, distributed energy resources, renewable energy, and environmental initiatives. The purpose of the SEP program is to provide national recognition of utility efforts to incorporate efficiencies and sustainability while providing affordable electric service. Additionally, achieving SEP designation will help public power utilities benchmark and evaluate their work on these topics against a set of industry best practices. Learn more.