WILSON COUNTY, NC – Wilson County Government recently won a first-place award in the Regular Programming category for its weekly Just A Minute video series as the annual North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) conference. Wilson County was among a record 39 North Carolina jurisdictions to earn recognition in NC3C’s 2026 Excellence in Communications Awards.

The awards were announced on April 9, 2026, during NC3C’s annual conference in Beaufort, NC. 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.”

“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award on behalf of Wilson County. Without the support and engagement from citizens each week, Just A Minute would not have earned this recognition,” stated Stephen Mann, Director of Communications. “I could make videos every week until I retire, but if no one is watching  and engaging with us, then what am I accomplishing? Thank you to all of those who tune in each week and help sustain it.”

County Manager Ron Hunt started the weekly video series in 2020 during his time as Assistant County Manager. Wilson County realized that citizens and visitors to Wilson County needed a succinct way of getting important information from Wilson County Government.

“Communications with residents in county government is vital. I am so proud of Stephen Mann for producing and leading this effort,” stated County Manager Ron Hunt. “This award showcases some of Wilson County’s best work as we serve our citizens.”

The weekly Just A Minute video updates go out each Friday, every week of the year, in order to keep people informed of important information ranging from: economic development announcements, holiday closing schedules, public meetings, tax and election information, capital projects and more. By trying to keep each video around one minute, the goal is to keep the audience engaged, while still presenting pertinent information. Videos are posted to Facebook, X, LinkedIn and YouTube each week, along with a link on the County’s website that takes visitors to the YouTube playlist where all of the videos are housed.

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.

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