Achievement Awards
Celebrate Our Fair's WFA Achievement Awards
The goal of the Western Fairs Association’s (WFA) Achievement Awards Program is to recognize excellence and share new successful ideas and programs as many of the best ideas are inspired from others. The primary purpose of this program is to facilitate, share, and promote great ideas, so we can create a helpful resource to guide our programs for next year and, of course, organize a better Fair for the community.
After over 500 entries from over 30 Fairs, the San Mateo County Fair staff is honored to receive such prestigious awards from their peers in the industry and is proud to share our accomplishments with all who have collaborated with us and celebrated at the annual Fair.
Please see below for the WFA awards that the San Mateo County Fair has received!
Winner of the Prestigious MERRILL AWARD for Farmworkers Heroes Appreciation Day at the Fair.
Learn more here: https://www.westernfairs.org/p/members/awards/merrill
First Place
- Community Outreach
- Overall Fair Marketing
- Give It Your Best Show- Exhibits, Competitive or Educational
- Radio Ad- Single
- Radio Ad Series
- Give It Your Best Shot- Entertainment and Grounds Acts
- Give It Your Best Show- Carnival
- Non-Profits
- Interim Events
- New Sponsorship
- New Children’s Program
- New Cultural Program
- Theme Program
- Agricultural Programming
- Emergency Response Venues
- Fair Program- Schedule
- Year Round Logo
- Fair Logo
- Radio Ad- Foreign Language
Second Place
- Television Advertising Single Ad
- Television Ad- Foreign Language
- Special Event Logo
- New Competition- Animal or Still
- New Fairtime Event, Exhibit or Program
- Volunteers
Third Place:
- Single Social Media Ad
- Fair Advertising Poster
- Give It Your Best Shot- Food & Beverage
- Give It Your Best Shot- People at the Fair
Honorable Mention:
- Give It Your Best Show- Community Outreach/Emergency Response Venues
- Give it Your Best Show- Animals With or Without People
- New Sponsorship: Spare the Air Virtual Booth at the Fair
- Single Foreign Language Radio Ad
- Give it Your Best Shot-Exhibits
- Volunteers: Fundraising Program
- New Fairtime Event, Exhibit or Program (Judges Choice): American History Museum
- New Children’s Program: FabMo Fabric & More Workshops
- Give it Your Best Shot- Carnival
- Fair Program/Schedule
- New Cultural Program (Judges Choice): Family PRIDE Day
- Year Round Logo (Judges Choice)
- Single Television Ad
- Theme Program Where Tradition Meets Innovation
- Overall Fair Marketing Campaign
- Give it Your Best Shot- Animals (Award of Excellence)
- Give it Your Best Shot-Entertainment
- Television Ad Series
- Virtual and Live Auctions: Junior Livestock Auction
- Non-Profits (Judges Choice): Pacific Islands Together
- Interim Events (Judges Choice): SaaStr Annual 2021
- Give or Your Best Shot-Carnival (Award of Excellence, Second Best Overall Entry)
- Give it Your Best Shot-People at the Fair
- Agricultural Programming: Sweet Journey: A Tasty Exhibit
- Community Outreach: Vaccination Incentive Program
- Fair Logo
- Single Radio Ad
- Emergency Response Venues: California Wildfires
- Give it Your Best Shot-People at the Fair
- Special Event Logo
- Fair Commemorative Poster
- Give it Your Best Shot-Animals
- Give it Your Best Shot-Community Outreach
- Give it Your Best Shot- Entertainment
- Give it your Best Shot- Animals
- New Sponsorship Program (Selfie Museum “Celebrate your Self-ie” sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle)
- Single Radio Ad Foreign Language
- Television Advertising Series
- Fair Program/Schedule
- Foreign Language Television Ad
- Cultural Marketing Campaign (Latin Bay Area, Hispanic Market Reach)
- Give It Your Best Shot- Entertainment & Grounds Acts
- Volunteers (Call outs for Volunteers via Social Media and Flyers)
- Digital Marketing Campaign (Increase Facebook Pre-Sales)
- New Cultural Program ( Pacific Islands Day)
- Outdoor Advertising Campaign (Digital Billboard Displays)
- Give It Your Best Shot- Carnival
- New Event, Exhibit or Program (Jr. Chefs)
- Fairtime Advertising Poster
- New Community Outreach Program (Family Pride Day)
- Give It Your Best Shot – People
- Television Advertising
Celebrate Our Fair's IAFE Awards
1st Place: Non-Fair Facility Usage – Upgrade of the SMC Event Center website.
1st Place: Competitive Exhibits Awards – Creative Display
2nd Place: Agricultural Awards – “Livestock Corner” in the Fair newsletter
3rd Place: Hall of Honor Communication Awards – Marketing (customized fencing wraps).
Best of Show: Hall of Honor Communications Awards
The fair scoring the highest total in three separate categories (Best Marketing Campaign excluded) will be awarded the Best of Show award. This recipient will receive a special award at the Annual IAFE Convention.
1st Place: Hall of Honor Communications Awards – Souvenirs and Commemorative Items
San Mateo County Fair Face Masks
1st Place: Hall of Honor Communications Awards – Out-of-the-Box Marketing/Promotion
Get Vaccinated at the Fair
2nd Place: Hall of Honor Communications Awards – Social Media
2nd Place: Agricultural AwardsAgricultural exhibitor events, awards, participation incentives or retention programs.
Livestock Corner Section in Fair Newsletter and on Social Media
The San Mateo County Fair received a First Place Award of Excellence in the Hall of Honor Communications contest in the category of Television at the 129th annual International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) convention. The Hall of Honor Communications contest received 889 entries, showcasing a vast array of promotional tactics used at fairs across the world.