The Orange County Regional History Center: Selected Awards and Honors

2024 Awards

National Association of Counties
Achievement Award for the exhibition Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground

2023 Awards

American Association for State and Local History
Award of Excellence for the exhibition Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground

Southeastern Museums Conference
Silver Award for the exhibition Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground

Telly Awards
Gold Telly Award – Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground Scrapbook episode co-produced with Orange TV

2021 Awards and Honors

American Alliance of Museums
Reaccreditation

Downtown Orlando Partnership
Golden Brick Award for the exhibition Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 (Category: Diversity)

Florida Historical Society
David C. Brotemarkle Award for the exhibition Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920

Southeastern Museums Conference
Gold Award for Exhibitions – Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 (Category: Budget under $25,000)
Gold Award for Technology in Media Production – Oral History Animations in Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920
Silver Award for Technology in Gallery Installations – Land Deeds Map in Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920

Telly Awards
Gold Telly Award –Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 Scrapbook episode co-produced with Orange TV
Gold Telly Award – Curating a Tragedy: Documenting the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, a documentary co-produced with Orange TV

2020 Awards

Society for American Archivists
Distinguished Service Award for the museum’s response to the Pulse nightclub shooting, which became the foundation of its One Orlando Collection initiative. (For details, click here.)

Southeastern Museums Conference
Gold Award – Exhibition for The Accidental Historian
Gold Award – Technology for Curating a Tragedy: Documenting the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, a documentary co-produced with Orange TV (Orange County’s public information station)
Silver Award – Technology for The Stories They Could Tell, an online exhibition about the Pulse nightclub shooting (view exhibition here)
Honorable Mention – Publications for the Time Travelers’ Gazette, a publication designed to bring Central Florida’s history to life for children.

2019 Awards

Institute for Museum and Library Services
National Medal for Museum and Library Services

2018 Awards

American Alliance of Museums
Excellence in Exhibitions Award for One Year Later: Reflecting on Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub Massacre
Excellence in Label Writing Award for One Year Later: Reflecting on Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub Massacre

Downtown Orlando Partnership
Golden Brick Award for the exhibition Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code (Category: Diversity)
Golden Brick Award for “Florida Highwaymen Kids” Art Project and Exhibition (Category: The Arts)

Southeastern Museum Conference
Silver Exhibition Award for Leaving Vietnam: Building a New Life in Central Florida (Category: Budget under $10,000)

2017 Awards

American Association for State and Local History
History in Progress Award for the One Orlando Collection Initiative
Award of Merit for Leadership in History for the One Orlando Collection Initiative

Downtown Orlando Partnership
Golden Brick Award for the exhibition Leaving Vietnam: Building a New Life in Central Florida (Category: Diversity)

Southeastern Museum Conference
Gold Award – Exhibition for One Year Later: Reflecting on Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub Massacre exhibition (Category: Budget under $10,000)

2016 Awards

Downtown Orlando Partnership
Golden Brick Award for the exhibition Pride, Prejudice, and Protest: GLBT History of Greater Orlando (Category: Diversity)

Other Selected Awards and Honors

• A-List Winner, WESH Channel 2 / WKCF CW18
• Best Museum (Orlando magazine)
• Best of Orlando (Orlando magazine)
• Florida Government Communicators Association Silver Award
• George L. Stuart Award, Downtown Orlando Partnership
• Golden Quill Award (Florida Historical Society) for Reflections from Central Florida magazine
• MarCom Award for Reflections from Central Florida magazine
• National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards
• Outstanding Public Development Award, Florida Planning and Zoning Association
• Orlando Magic Youth Foundation Magic Maker
• Top 100 Florida Museums (Florida Monthly magazine)
• United Arts Awards for Excellence in Arts and Culture
• Walt Disney World Community Service Awards – Arts and Culture