The city of Surprise was honored with a Voice of the People Award during the recent International City/County Management Association conference in Columbus, Ohio.

These are the only awards given in local government based on residents' opinions.

Surprise was selected for this award based on its work in the area of “Transformation in Education, Arts and Culture.”

This includes the thriving partnership with Ottawa University – providing a hometown higher education option for locals and welcoming students from across the country to the community.

Also, the city-funded Arts and Culture Grant Program is helping to expand and promote activities to residents, while expanding venue space throughout the city.

Additionally, Surprise has collaborated with education and business partners to create opportunities for young residents, including hosting a SciTech Festival focusing on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, math & art) initiatives.

Plus, the city has also increased the installation of public art pieces and provided new opportunities for the public to engage in this space.

Surprise leadership recognizes the importance of education and arts for our growing community and places them as core components within the City Council Strategic Plan.

Residents are also deeply passionate about these initiatives as shown by the city’s 2021 National Community Survey.

These survey results, which focus on the foundations that create a high quality of life, were also used to select the winners of the Voice of the People Awards.

The awards are co-presented by the National Research Center and the ICMA.