nc3c

Take the 2026 Conference Survey

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 21:44:46 GMT

Help us Choose our 2027 Destination

CAST YOUR VOTE

Each year, the NC3C Annual Conference brings together professionals from across North Carolina to connect, learn and grow.

As we look ahead to 2027, we’re inviting our community to weigh in on where we should host our next conference.

Whether you're thinking about travel convenience, venue experience or just a city you love, we want to hear from you.

We’re planning ahead and we want YOU to help us.

Cast your vote for where you’d like us to gather in 2027!

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Excellence in Communications Awards Features New Category

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:37:11 GMT

Award entry period: Jan. 2-Jan. 30, 2026

After two years of zero entries, the NC3C Board voted at its retreat this summer to retire the 'Digital Resource' category. In its place, we are offering a new ' Reels & Shorts ' category, aimed specifically at vertical videos of 90 seconds or less.

As we did last year, categories that have enough entries will be split between large and small population (typically 200,000 is the cutoff, but it will vary slightly based on who enters which category). This allows for a more level playing field for some of our smaller organizations and also encourages greater participation from our larger organizations, as they can go head to head against their peers with similar staffing levels and resources.

Our awards contest entry period opens on Friday, Jan. 2 , and early bird rates are $50 per entry (you must be an NC3C member in good standing to enter). The early bird deadline is Friday, Jan. 23, at which point rates will go to the standard $75 per entry until the final entry deadline of Friday, January 30 .

Our contest last year saw a record number of entries, and we want to keep that going, so show us all the awesome work your teams have done this past year! The contest is for work created and published during the 2025 calendar year.

When you enter into the Excellence in Communications awards, you agree to do judging in the spring for the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators' (MAGC) Northern Lights Contest. We have a reciprocal judging agreement with their organization, and it only works if everyone does their part.

Following a lengthy conversation this summer at our annual retreat, the board voted to apply a $25 per entry fee on next year's contest entries for any organization that does not complete its judging assignments for the Northern Lights contest.

We hope this will help reduce the number of unjudged entries that then fall on board members to have to judge at the last minute in order to meet our obligations for MAGC.

The TL;DR:

Start thinking about what content you want to submit for awards, especially for our new 'Reels & Shorts' category.
Please do your judging for our friends in Minnesota in the spring.
And who can't wait to see Booyah Bradley dressed to the nines in Beaufort for the awards presentation?

Interested in Presenting?

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:33:39 GMT

We are accepting presentation proposals from members interested in sharing their expertise, case studies, innovations, or practical strategies.

Submit your presentation proposal through this form by Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 .

New This Year

NC3C members who attend the conference and are selected to present will receive a reduced registration rate of $300 - a savings of $100 off the final conference rate.

We hope you’ll consider submitting a session idea and contributing to the collective knowledge of our statewide communications community.

2026 Annual Conference Update: Introducing Our Keynote Speaker

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:31:06 GMT

Welcome Michael Reddington

We are thrilled to welcome Michael Reddington, CFI - speaker, author and expert on Disciplined Listening - as our 2026 keynote speaker.

In his book, "The Disciplined Listening Method: How A Certified Forensic Interviewer Unlocks Hidden Value in Every Conversation, " Michael shares his approach for unlocking the hidden value in conversations.

His methodologies help strengthen self-awareness, better appreciate others’ experiences, and identify new opportunities through highly intentional communication.

His podcast , " I See What You’re Saying," expands on these themes through conversations with CEOs, investigators, scientists, educators, military leaders, athletes, and other communication experts. Each episode is filled with stories, best practices, and practical strategies for elevating high-value conversations.

We encourage you to listen in as we gear up for the conference.