FPTA Transit System Marketing Awards

All FPTA member transit agencies are eligible to submit entries. Eligible Entries: All work submitted must have been created, published or implemented by, or for, an FPTA member between June 1, 2025 and February 1, 2026.

Class identification is based on the size of the transit system’s operating budget, consistent with FPTA’s membership tiers. FPTA maintains this information in the membership database. Click here to view your agency’s Class.

Class 1 – includes FPTA Corporate-Tier 1 transit agencies; those with the highest annual operating budget.

Class 2 – includes FPTA Corporate-Tier 2 transit agencies

Class 3 – includes FPTA Corporate-Tier 3, Corporate-Tier 4/Trolley, and non-fixed route, CTCs.

Each of the following (3) entry categories will have (3) First Place winners; one for each Class totaling (9) First Place winners. Additionally, one ‘Best in Class’ award will be given to an outstanding entry in each class, regardless of entry category.

1. Best Workforce Development Marketing
This award recognizes marketing efforts in staff recruitment or retention.

2. Best Ridership or Sales Marketing
This award recognizes marketing to increase ridership or sales.

3. Best Educational Initiative Marketing
This award recognizes non-workforce development marketing such as general public information, improving safety or security, courtesy, funding needs, or other transit objective.

You may submit (1) entry per category, for a maximum of (3) entries per agency. There is no charge to submit an entry.

All entry categories will require a response to (5) questions. Each question will be answered separately on the online entry form. Submit clear and concise statements, maximum 800 characters in length per question, including spaces and punctuation.

1. Who was the target audience for this entry?
2. What was the situation that necessitated creating this entry?
3. What was the strategy of this entry?
4. What results did this entry have? (e.g. increased ridership, higher sales, greater public awareness, etc.)
5. Please tell the judges why this entry was submitted and why it should win an award.

Marketing Awards will be evaluated based on effectiveness in the entry category and competitive class. Individual awards will not be granted for individual media types. Your entry may consist of any of the below media types, but all entries within a Class and Category will be evaluated for effectiveness, impact, and clarity, without specific regard to medium. Please upload one single PDF file or up to two publicly accessible links that contain all supporting materials for your entry. The following material types will be available for selection for each of the entry categories. Your entry may include:

• Comprehensive Campaign: an effort with multiple components that are used together to achieve your goal
• Print Media: e.g. brochure, newspaper ad, billboard
• Electronic Media: e.g. online video, radio ad, web content
• Special Events: e.g. press conference, open house, ride along
• Social Media: e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram efforts

• All entries must be submitted using the FPTA online entry form by 6:00pm (EST) on Friday, March 20, 2026. Entries are date stamped automatically upon submission. FPTA allows 45 days for entry submissions therefore there will be no exceptions for late entries. 
• Image Files: All images must be embedded into a .pdf file for upload. There is no limit to the number of images you can include on (1) .pdf upload, but the maximum file size is 10MB. You can have multiple pages in your .pdf file.
• Video Files: All video files must be submitted as publicly accessible YouTube or Vimeo URLs. Only the first 10 minutes of video submitted will be considered in the judging process.
• File Upload Limits: The maximum file size is 10MB. Please do not upload zip files.

An independent panel of professionals will judge the entries. Decisions will be final and based on the following criteria:

• 50% Goals Achieved
• 25% Overall Impact
• 25% Message Clarity

First Place (All Tiers/Categories): Announced Wednesday, June 10 during lunch at the FPTA/FDOT/CUTR Professional Development Workshop & Transit Safety and Operations Summit, Tampa.

Best In Class (All Tiers/Top Scores): Announced October 25-27 at the FPTA Annual Conference, Orlando.

Please contact Amy Keys, FPTA at am*****@************it.org for questions related to the online entry process.
Please contact Amanda Baird, PSTA (FPTA Marketing Awards Chair) at AB****@**ta.net for general questions about this awards process.