SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College's new logo design has been awarded a Paragon first place Gold Award by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations.

The Paragon Award recognizes outstanding achievement and excellence in communications at community and technical colleges. CCCC's stylized and colorful four "Cs" logo design excelled in the competition with entries from around the nation and Canada.

"First place - that means that CCCC has the No. 1 logo design in the nation among community colleges that entered the competition!" Marcie Dishman, director of the college's Marketing and Public Affairs Department, said, on hearing of the award. "This is wonderful recognition for the countless hours put into the development of the new logo. Every member of the Marketing & Public Affairs Department contributed to this process - it was truly a collaborative effort."

Neil McGowan, CCCC graphic artist and multimedia specialist, received the award on behalf of the department at the NCMPR's March 10-12 conference in Chicago.

The NCMPR is the only organization composed exclusively of marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. Headquartered in Greeley, Colo., it has more than 1,550 members from more than 650 colleges in the United States, Canada and other countries. It is one of the fastest-growing affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges.

First place Gold, second place Silver, or third place Bronze awards were presented at the national conference to the top three schools in 44 areas of community college communication, from banners to websites. About 80 marketing and public relations professionals from around the country acted as judges for the national competition.

The NCMPR said on its web site that the winners in all categories, including CCCC, were set apart by their "creativity, originality and unique approaches to problem-solving."

"Our new logo incorporates the college's values of excellence, innovation and diversity," said CCCC President Dr. Bud Marchant. "It was created as part of CCCC's 50th anniversary celebration last year and captures the excitement and creativity at the college as we move forward."

CCCC first unveiled its new logo of four forward-arcing "Cs", in blue, orange, green, and yellow, during the final 50th Anniversary celebration event June 28, 2012, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.

The logo previously received second place in the NCMPR's District 2 Medallion Awards competition, held in October. The District 2 region includes two-year community and technical colleges in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and The Bahamas.

"The logo represents who we are," said Celia Hurley, CCCC vice president for Institutional Advancement. "Wherever it appears, it communicates, 'Central Carolina Community College - moving forward with excellence.'"

Implementation of the new logo on college signs, materials and advertising has already begun, Dishman said.

To see the college's logo, visit www.cccc.edu. To see all the winners in all categories, visit www.ncmpr.org/paragon.