BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USAFacts, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan civic initiative providing the most comprehensive and understandable single source of government data, today announced its Coronavirus Tracking Hub and Interactive Map earned an Innovation Services Gold Medal for the 2021 Edison Awards’ category. It also won an honorable mention in the Pandemic Response category of this year’s Fast Company World Changing Ideas competition. Both awards recognize the groundbreaking work that the small but mighty USAFacts team did to inform the public throughout the global pandemic.
“On behalf of our entire team, we’re honored that our Coronavirus Tracking Hub and Interactive Map has been so well received and recognized. This initiative was inspired by team members who saw it as their responsibility to gather disparate information to keep people informed during the pandemic,” said USAFacts Chief Product Officer Richard Coffin. “USAFacts believes in making government data and content available to Americans and this initiative demonstrates the lengths we’ll go to to find and share those facts.”
“We were very impressed by the level of collaboration and discovery in this year’s entries,” said Edison Universe Executive Director Frank Bonafilia. “Somehow, while facing the unprecedented challenges of this global pandemic, companies around the world figured out how to work safely and smartly and still innovate at an award-winning level. The award-winning work by USAFacts is a prime example.”
“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems,” said Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”
USAFacts Coronavirus Tracking Hub and Interactive Hub is still live on USAFacts and has been expanded to include a state-level vaccine tracker.
About USAFacts
USAFacts is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan civic initiative making government data easy for all Americans to access and understand. USAFacts provides engaging visuals on data and trends in US spending, revenue, demographics, and policy outcomes to help Americans ground public debate in facts. It produces topical content throughout the year and has produced annual reports and 10-Ks on the nation. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @USAFacts, and sign up for the data-driven newsletter at www.usafacts.org.
Edison Awards
Over the last 34 years, being recognized with an Edison Award has become one of the highest accolades a product can receive in the name of innovation success. The awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) whose inventions, new product development methods, and innovative achievements changed the world. The Edison Awards are operated by Edison Universe, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of recognizing, honoring and fostering innovations and innovators, and are hosted in Fort Myers, Florida.
About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
