Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) recently received recognition in the 2017 Spotlight on Excellence national awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

According to a press release, SEC received a Gold Award in Best Digital Storytelling for its “Day in the Life of a Lineman” reality show video.

“The video follows SEC linemen in Altavista, Crewe, Dinwiddie and Powhatan as they work and troubleshoot throughout their day.”

According to the release, the video serves as a complement to the Day in the Life of a Lineman program, which provides high school students with a multi-faceted look at a career in electric utility line work.

“Students gain insight into the working conditions, education/training requirements, career outlook and compensation of an electric lineman.”

A special reception honored the award recipients during the Connect ‘17 Conference held in Tampa, Florida, on May 2. Winning entries were displayed in the Spotlight Café during the remainder of the conference.

“SEC partnered with videographer Ryan White of Tri21 Media to bring the idea to life,” according to the release.

“Lauren Irby, SEC communications specialist, coordinated the scheduling, filming and production of the project.”

The annual Spotlight on Excellence Awards competition recognizes the top-rated communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations.

Entrants competed with electric cooperatives of similar size in several categories, according to the press release.