BEAUFORT, NC – The City of Kannapolis was among a record 39 North Carolina jurisdictions to earn recognition in the North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) 2026 Excellence in Communications Awards. The City of Kannapolis was presented with a first-place award for the Mustache Mania Social Campaign. Additionally, the City received two third place awards. One for the City's Timeline Installation project and one for the City's rebrand of the Swanee Theatre's logo.

The awards were announced on April 9, 2026, during NC3C’s annual conference. A record-setting 266 award program entries were judged by professional communications peers from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators.

"As our organization has grown over the last two decades, the awards contest has become increasingly more competitive each year,” said NC3C President Adam Gaub. “This year’s contest saw entries increase by more than 33 percent from last year’s record-setting amount. Phenomenal work is being done by communicators across the Tar Heel State, and any organization taking home an award this year should be extremely proud of their success.”
About NC3C The purpose of North Carolina City & County Communicators is to encourage professional development and networking among local governmental communications professionals. The organization was formed in March 2007, and consists of professional government communicators from around the state. For more information about NC3C, visit www.nc3c.com.