Awards and Evidence of Excellence:  The Imagination Celebration has been honored and recognized for excellence in programming with such awards as the Kennedy Center Award for Excellence, the El Pomar Award for Special Projects, an El Pomar Merit Award, and multiple El Pomar Trustee Awards.   Highly competitive review around the state and nation has resulted in the following:

  • 2011, 2010, 2009 - selected by broad-based Community Board in a competitive process as a nonprofit worthy of support for the Give! Initiative
  • 2011 - Pikes Peak Arts Council "CIA Award" Creative, Intriguing, Astonishing
  • 2010 - Winner, Best Community-Wide Festival - CS Independent
  • 2010 - selected as a partner for the national "Partners in Education" program by the Kennedy Center in Washington DC
  • 2009 - selected to serve on the Governor's Creative Industries advisory panel
  • 2008 - El Pomar Foundation’s Karl Eitel Award for Achievement in Youth Development
  • 2008-10 - selected to serve on COPPeR’s Leadership team to help develop Cultural Plan for region
  • 2008 - selected as Best Place to Spark Imagination – by The Gazette
  • 2008 - selected as Keynote for Pikes Peak International Reading Association
  • 2007 - “Diversity Award” by joint Chambers of Commerce (Black, Hispanic, Greater Colo Springs)
  • 2007 - National Endowment for the Arts award for Conexion del Mariachi - promoting mariachi as option for after school and in school music education
  • Received top ranking in state for YouthWorx! proposal for Youth Reach Initiative serving at-risk high school students through after-school programs.
  • Received top ranking in state by Colorado Council on the Arts for Arts Learning Network (8 organizations identified as outstanding arts education models).
  • Selected as model by Colorado Council on the Arts to showcase as a Best Practice in the state for reaching underserved families  (“Colorado Connections” southern Colorado Tour Program provided over 400 programs in over 70 rural towns in southern Colorado).
  • Awarded two National Endowment for the Arts grants for our Outposts Outreach program serving children in Guffey, Cripple Creek, Lake George, Divide, Ellicott, Edison, Yoder, Peyton, Calhan, and Hanover - this highly competitive review requires highest artistic excellence, organizational capacity and demonstrable results.
  • Selected as model organization by Crayola for their national publication on Strategies for Success: Bridges Toward Creative Collaboration in Your Community (see enclosed copy).
  • Annual high ranking by Colorado Council on the Arts peer review panel assessing service to the community, artistic excellence, organizational capacity and measurable outcomes.