2026 Winners
International and Region 4
Washington State Patrol
The Milepost Newsletter
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) proudly nominates The Milepost for the 2026 AAMVA Communications Award in the Publication and Visual Arts category. Launched in January 2023, The Milepost began as a simple one-page newsletter designed to highlight the outstanding work of WSP employees, both in their professional roles and through their volunteer efforts within local communities. What started as a modest internal publication has since evolved into a vibrant and dynamic communication platform that celebrates the people, stories, and values that define WSP.
Over time, The Milepost has grown in both content and reach, transitioning from an occasional internal update to a weekly publication featuring diverse stories, striking visuals, and employee-submitted photos from across the state. The enthusiasm from staff has been overwhelming, with submissions continuing to increase each week and reflecting how deeply the publication resonates with the WSP family. By giving employees a platform to share their experiences and accomplishments, The Milepost has created a stronger connection among employees across the state.
Beyond its internal impact, The Milepost has become a meaningful communication bridge with external audiences, including members of the Washington State Legislature. By offering real and relatable insight into WSP’s daily operations, training, and community involvement, the publication helps lawmakers and partners better understand the agency’s mission, its people, and its role in serving the public.
To support its continued growth, the The Milepost team introduced a dedicated email address for content submissions and collaboration. This improvement streamlined the process for contributors statewide and enhanced coordination among the editorial team, helping ensure consistent quality while encouraging the inclusion of diverse stories and perspectives.
The Milepost has proven to be far more than a newsletter; it has become a unifying force across a geographically dispersed agency. It strengthens morale, fosters pride, and reinforces a shared sense of purpose. Through engaging storytelling, compelling visuals, and authentic employee voices, The Milepost continues to connect, inform, and inspire the dedicated employees of the Washington State Patrol.
Region 1
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration
Cheswick the Crab Activity Book
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office (MHSO) created Cheswick’s Grand Adventure to promote pedestrian, bicycle, and scooter safety among Maryland’s youngest road users. This 15-page interactive activity book features Cheswick the Safety Crab, Maryland’s mascot for roadway safety education, and teaches important safety lessons through creativity, storytelling, and play. Designed for children ages 5–12, the book follows Cheswick as he explores Maryland communities while learning how to travel safely, pay attention to his surroundings, and make smart choices. Puzzles, coloring pages, mazes, connect-the-dots activities, and word games transform safety education into an engaging adventure that children can enjoy while learning.
The publication builds on the success of the Walk Smart, Drive Smart, Bike Smart campaign, expanding Cheswick’s reach from Ocean City to classrooms and households throughout the state. Bright illustrations and regionally inspired backdrops bring Maryland’s diverse landscapes to life, making each lesson relatable, memorable, and fun. The initiative is designed to promote pedestrian, bicycle, and scooter safety in an age-appropriate way; reinforce distraction-free travel and responsible behaviors through family interaction; increase comprehension and long-term retention through engaging design and storytelling; and expand the Cheswick the Crab brand and its educational impact across Maryland.
The primary audience is children ages 5–12, a key age group for establishing safe travel habits. Parents, guardians, teachers, and caregivers serve as a secondary audience, helping reinforce safety behaviors at home and in the classroom. MHSO’s strategy centered on blending education with entertainment by delivering safety messages through vibrant visuals and hands-on participation. Each page introduces a new setting or safety topic, including crosswalks, helmets, bike lanes, and sharing the road, while interactive challenges and games encourage critical thinking and engagement.
By designing the book as a shared activity between children and adults, MHSO extends safety education beyond the classroom and encourages meaningful conversations at home. The interactive format empowers children to become participants in their own safety education and even encourages them to remind others to “walk smart, bike smart, and be alert.” Cheswick the Crab serves as the narrator and guide, providing consistent branding and an approachable voice for young readers, while Maryland-themed artwork—from Ocean City’s boardwalk to the mountains of Western Maryland—ensures the publication resonates with families across the state.
MHSO incorporated safety tips directly into puzzles and illustrations, encouraging learning through discovery rather than traditional instruction. Thousands of copies were distributed through schools, PTAs, community centers, and local events, while distribution was also incorporated into Walk & Bike to School activities through mascot appearances. A digital version was also produced to provide educators and families with convenient access to printable resources.
The initiative has received positive feedback from educators, parents, and community partners, who praised Cheswick’s Grand Adventure for transforming safety education into an enjoyable family experience. Teachers reported that children actively referenced lessons from the book during school safety discussions, while community partners requested additional copies for local outreach. By combining thoughtful design, storytelling, and interactive learning, MHSO created a publication that both educates and inspires. Cheswick’s Grand Adventure reinforces Maryland’s Vision Zero mission while introducing critical road safety concepts in a format that children can understand, remember, and apply for years to come.
Region 2
Service Oklahoma
Legislator Quad-Fold Booklet
Service Oklahoma created the Quad-Fold Booklet to clearly communicate who the agency is, what it does, and the value it provides to Oklahomans. The objective was to increase understanding of the agency’s mission, demonstrate measurable impact, and strengthen recognition among key audiences, including legislators, partner agencies, and community leaders. The booklet was intentionally designed as a portable, pocket-sized leave-behind that stands out from typical letter-sized government materials. Its compact and memorable format makes it easy for stakeholders to keep on hand, reference quickly, and share with others during legislative meetings, hearings, and partner engagements.
Developed and designed entirely in-house, the eight-page quad-fold booklet translates complex data and processes into a clear, visual story. The strategy centered on combining clean design, accurate content, and a strong brand identity to create a cohesive tool that informs, engages, and reinforces trust. Using Service Oklahoma’s established fonts, color palettes, and imagery, the piece aligns with the agency’s other public-facing materials and supports a unified agency narrative. Each panel presents a distinct theme, including agency formation, modernization milestones, customer satisfaction outcomes, and service availability across the state. Previous informational packets lacked cohesive branding, used inconsistent formats, and often contained outdated information, underscoring the need for a new resource.
The booklet follows State of Oklahoma brand guidelines to ensure readability and professionalism across audiences. Its layout uses short, focused messages supported by infographics and authentic photos from Service Oklahoma offices rather than stock images, showcasing the agency’s real impact and the people it serves. The unique size and sturdy fold structure allow the booklet to be easily used during legislative briefings, one-on-one meetings, budget hearings, and partner presentations without requiring additional context. Decision-makers have noted that the format helps distill essential information into a resource they can review at a glance and reference later without having to search through lengthy reports.
Unlike traditional government materials that rely heavily on text, the Quad-Fold Booklet pairs concise, impactful statements with bold visuals to increase engagement and comprehension. It replaces older, text-heavy reports with a streamlined and accessible format that elevates the agency’s story and makes key data easier to understand. Feedback from state leadership, legislators, and partner organizations emphasized that the booklet makes Service Oklahoma’s mission, progress, and statewide reach immediately clear, simplifying conversations about service delivery, modernization, and customer experience.
The booklet’s effectiveness is demonstrated through continued adoption, repeat use, and demand from both internal and external stakeholders. It quickly became a standard component of presentations, legislative meetings, and orientation packets for new leaders. Multiple departments also requested additional copies for their own stakeholder briefings, citing the booklet’s clarity and usability. Its sustained use across fiscal and legislative cycles demonstrates its long-term value as a communication tool that delivers consistency, accessibility, and accurate information.
The Quad-Fold Booklet reflects Service Oklahoma’s commitment to modern, transparent communication. By transforming internal metrics and complex information into an accessible, portable story, the booklet builds understanding and confidence in how the agency delivers best-in-class service to Oklahomans.
Region 3
Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of State Patrol
Wisconsin State Patrol Annual Report
The Wisconsin State Patrol’s Annual Report is a tool for highlighting the agency’s goals and accomplishments, communicating to stakeholders, and showing transparency to the people of Wisconsin. The main intended audience for the report is the general public, community partners, local/partner law enforcement agencies, other State of Wisconsin agencies, and internal employees.
In 2024, the Wisconsin State Patrol began to explore new opportunities to better communicate through the Annual Report. The agency had used the same Annual Report template for the past six years. View here: https://wsp.wi.gov/Pages/Annual-Report.aspx. The format was designed mainly for print, and the style was outdated. After reviewing distribution of previous reports, it was determined that the report is mainly consumed electronically on the State Patrol’s website. Less than ten printed reports were distributed every year.
For 2024, the Wisconsin State Patrol decided to recreate the Annual Report to be more engaging and modern. They decided to focus on an electronic format with a landscape orientation to better fit the computer screen. The landscape format also allows staff to easily present it in a PowerPoint format when needed.
The new report incorporated several strategies to make the content more engaging and accessible. Data visualizations, including tables of data, infographics, and typographic designs of statistics, were used to make information easier to understand. The report also humanized the work of the State Patrol by sharing stories, photography, and community work. Branding consistency was improved through an identified color scheme, simplified stylization, ADA-friendly colors, and type design.
The report also incorporated more effective design elements, including strategic use of white space, consistency in the organization of each section, a strong hierarchical layout, simplified design elements to inform readers easily, and visualization of data.
Several tactics were used to support the new approach. The report was provided and formatted for digital use so it could be distributed widely. It was also designed to be accessible to all readers by using high-contrast colors and reader-friendly typefaces and sizing. The report was clearly organized by offices and included acknowledgement of employees and partners who contributed to the agency’s success.
Outcomes:
Wisconsin State Patrol 2024 Annual Report
The new Annual Report has been a great tool for community outreach and recruitment. It is easily presented digitally on a screen and in a PowerPoint presentation due to the new size and format. Wisconsin State Patrol staff have been using the report in community presentations, and recruitment staff use the Annual Report to highlight the agency to potential new staff. Reviews from staff confirm that the new format is much more user-friendly and easily accessible.
The Annual Report aligns with State Patrol’s Strategic Plan
The final pages of the Annual Report pull specific metrics from the Strategic Plan into the report, providing an avenue to track metrics and provide a transparent agency report to community members and stakeholders to improve accountability and showcase the State Patrol’s commitment to public safety.