Awards and Accolades

Fostering a strong sense of community

What They Are Saying About New Albany

New Albany is a friendly, welcoming community of roughly 11,000 residents. We are committed to creating amenities that foster a strong sense of community based on our founding pillars of lifelong learning, culture and the arts, health and wellness, and the environment. These pillars are evident in our Village Center, where our community assets include the New Albany-Plain Local Schools campus (ranked among the top 3% of all Ohio school districts), Columbus Metropolitan Library – New Albany branch, Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany, Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, restaurants and shops, and Rose Run Park, our central park which physically connects all of these assets while adding to the abundance of green space in the core of town. New Albany is also home to one of the largest master-planned commercial office parks in the Midwest.

2020 Best City to Live in Ohio

According to 24/7 Wall St.

24/7 Wall St. has selected New Albany as Ohio’s 2020 representative on their annual list of Best Cities to Live in Every State.

Stating that New Albany is one of the fastest growing cities in Ohio, USA Today recently ranked the city 25th among “America’s 50 Best Cities to Live.” The national publication also notes that the city is “less than 20 minutes from downtown Columbus and in easy commuting distance to jobs in and around the state capital.” Read more from USA Today.

“New Albany is one of the fastest growing cities in Ohio, and the typical New Albany household earns $203,194 a year, more than triple the median income nationwide of $60,293…a dollar also goes further in the city than it does in much of the rest of the country. Goods and services are 13.4% less expensive in New Albany than they are nationwide.” USA Today/24/7 Wall Street

“New Albany has quietly but decisively emerged as a popular place to do business, anchored by the 5,000-acre New Albany International Business Park.” Columbus CEO

“Streets filled with Georgian homes patterned after estates in England’s Cotswolds region are tucked behind lanes lined with stately red maple and honey locust trees bordered by white horse fences.” Ohio Magazine

“The results of our annual search for America’s 50 best suburbs are in, and New Albany, Ohio, has claimed the No. 1 spot.” Business Insider

BarBend.com has ranked New Albany #31 in its 2020 list of Ohio’s Top 50 Cities for Fit Lifestyles. New Albany was the only Central Ohio community to crack the top 50.

Safety Rankings

Safety.com

New Albany was recently named the safest city in Ohio for 2021 by Safety.com, a leading home security and safety advocacy website. Analysts from the site assessed data provided by the FBI Crime Report, Gun Violence Archive, U.S. Census Bureau, Insurance Journal and America Health Rankings to create its list of safest cities in Ohio.
Safety.com

SafeWise

SafeWise has ranked New Albany #18 among the top 20 safest cities in Ohio for 2020. We also topped the list of Central Ohio cities on that list.
Full Report

Department Awards

Three smiling women indoors by a tree trunk; the center woman in cream lace holds a wooden first-place plaque, flanked by women in red and black.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

A Train Near Magdeburg Wins at OPRA Conference

The City was awarded first place at the 2026 Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) Conference in the Historical and Cultural Arts Programs and Events category. Pictured above are Kate Smith, Abbey Brooks, and Kayla Hesselbein from the Community Programs team.

The sold-out panel discussion for A Train Near Magdeburg was a powerful evening of remembrance and reflection that took place last August. The event shared the story of a train carrying more than 2,500 Jewish concentration camp prisoners that was liberated by U.S. soldiers near the war’s end. A special thank you to our panelists, partners, City Council, City staff, and everyone who attended and engaged in this meaningful evening. Watch the event recap here.

A group of eight people standing outdoors on a sunny day, all smiling and dressed in business attire.

FINANCE

City Receives Distinguished Budget Award

The City of New Albany is pleased to announce that it has received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

The award represents a significant achievement by the City. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the City of New Albany had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

  • a policy document
  • a financial plan
  • an operations guide
  • a communications device
 

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

Three people standing in front of a brick building labeled "Village Hall," each holding awards and smiling.

Communications

Communications & Marketing Team Wins Four National Awards

We’re pleased to share that the City of New Albany won four awards at the annual City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) awards ceremony, which recognizes outstanding achievement in marketing and communications within local governments across the United States and Canada. This year’s judging included over 1,100 entries in 38 categories. The City won first-place Savvy Awards for the following:

  • The New Albany Office (watch episodes here)
  • Women’s EmpowHER event (watch event here)

The team picked up Awards of Excellence for the following:

  • “Carry the Flag” photo (view here)
  • Explore New Albany video series (watch videos here)
A group of young dancers in colorful traditional Indian costumes perform on an outdoor wooden stage in front of a large pink banner reading Diwali Festival of Light, with blurred audience silhouettes in the foreground.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

City of New Albany's Diwali Celebration Wins 1st Place

The City of New Albany is thrilled to announce that the 2024 Diwali Celebration has won 1st Place in: the Historical & Cultural Arts Programs & Events division of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association’s 2024 Awards of Excellence. 

OPRA’s Awards of Excellence aim to recognize the life-changing work that events can have in their communities. The Diwali Celebration demonstrates light over darkness by bringing the community together at the Hinson Amphitheatre. The City is proud to host this significant event each year. 

Check out photos, recap videos, and more information about our unique Diwali Celebration at newalbanyohio.org/Diwali

Finance

Finance Department Receives Award

Honored with the esteemed 2023 90+ cashVest Award, recognizing its exemplary leadership in public finance liquidity management. This award, provided by the National Association of Counties (NACo),  is earned by only 22% of public finance offices, highlighting public entities excelling in maximizing the value of all taxpayer cash. It focuses on maximizing the utilization of every taxpayer dollar with data-informed decisions​​, ensuring optimal benefits for communities across the country.

By maintaining a cashVest score of 90 or above for four consecutive quarters, New Albany has demonstrated its commitment to effective cash management, improving financial stability, and ensuring responsible stewardship of public resources.

Communications

New Albany Communications & Marketing Wins Two First-Place PRSA Awards

On May 18, 2023, the Central Ohio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) honored the City of New Albany with two awards. New Albany won first-place PRism Awards for the following:

The PRSA PRism Awards are designed to honor exceptional public relations activities from a diverse mix of businesses, industries and backgrounds throughout central Ohio.

Four male dancers leap in mid-air on a brightly lit stage, wearing colorful traditional kurtas against a pink-orange backdrop decorated with mandala patterns, a Diwali flame logo, and small "New Albany" text.

Community Programs

New Albany Community Programs Wins PRSA Award

The City of New Albany is proud to share that the 2024 Diwali Celebration has earned the Diversity and Inclusion PRism Award of Excellence at the 2025 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Central Ohio Awards Ceremony. 

The award reflects the City’s continued efforts to collaborate with the community and celebrate the cultures of our resident population. To receive this award, the City had to provide a testimony of impact complete with photos, attendee feedback, and measurable objectives of success. The story of the City’s Diwali Celebration is easily told when the Festival of Lights unites people from all over Central Ohio.

Learn more about our Diwali Celebration at newalbanyohio.org/Diwali

Communications

New Albany Communications & Marketing Wins Three National 3CMA Awards

On September 8, 2022, the City of New Albany won three awards at the annual City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) convention. The City won a first place Savvy Award for our New Albany history video series, an Award of Excellence for our Alexa video, and an Award of Excellence for our Silicon Heartland update videos. The City would like to congratulate our Communications & Marketing team and thank local historian Dennis Keesee for his involvement with the history series!

Communications

New Albany Communications & Marketing Wins Three PRSA Awards

On July 21, 2022, the Central Ohio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) honored the City of New Albany with three awards. The City won a first place PRism Award for our solar panel project video and another first place PRism Award for our video to promote the City’s voice-activated FAQs. The City also won an Award of Excellence for our IDEA Committee efforts. The PRSA PRism Awards are designed to honor exceptional public relations activities from a diverse mix of businesses, industries and backgrounds throughout central Ohio.

Public Safety

New Albany Dispatch Manager Named Ohio Gold Star Supervisor of the Year

Congratulations to Dispatch Manager Elizabeth Lybarger for being selected as the 2021 Ohio Gold Star Communications Supervisor of the Year by the Ohio Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. She was honored at the organization’s annual conference and Gold Star Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.

Finance

City of New Albany Receives GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

On September 30, 2021, the City of New Albany was pleased to announce that it had received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The award represents a significant achievement by the City. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the City of New Albany had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Click here to learn more.

Communications

New Albany Communications & Marketing Wins Six 3CMA Awards

On September 9, 2021, the City of New Albany won six different national communications awards from 3CMA (City-County Communications & Marketing Association), which is the nation’s premier network of local government communicators. This was a highly competitive process as the 3CMA received more than 800 award entries from 238 unique jurisdictions. The city won the following awards: first place for our business park virtual tour/video (Most Innovative Communications category); four second place awards for our brand refresh (Marketing and Tools – Branding category), business park virtual tour/video (Marketing and Tools – Economic Development category), history video about Vietnam War hero Mike Butsko (Video – Education category) and the Explore New Albany series (Video – Regularly Scheduled Programming category); and a third place award for our website (Digital Interactive – Overall Website category).

Communications

New Albany Communications & Marketing Wins Two PRSA Awards

On July 22, 2021, the Central Ohio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) honored the City of New Albany with two awards. The City won a first place PRism Award for our Community Development Virtual Shuttle Tour to help recruit new companies to the New Albany International Business Park. The City also won an Award of Excellence for our Rose Run Park virtual tour. The PRSA PRism Awards are designed to honor exceptional public relations activities from a diverse mix of businesses, industries and backgrounds throughout central Ohio.

Finance

Finance Department Receives Highest Award

The Government Finance Officers Association awarded its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City of New Albany for its 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. This is the highest form of recognition possible in governmental accounting.

“This award reflects our commitment to fiscal reporting and providing a top notch accounting of our operations,” said City Manager Joseph Stefanov. “I’m proud of our entire finance team for this accomplishment.”