Explore Seattle Southside Earns Highly Commended Entry for Best Communication Strategy: Tourism for Welcome Back, Aliens Campaign

City Nation Place celebrated the winners of the 11th City Nation Place Awards on November 6, 2025, recognizing the organizations that are setting the standard for excellence in place branding and place marketing. The Awards highlight cities, nations, and regions that are building a clear, credible, and inspiring story that attracts people, business, and investment.

Explore Seattle Southside's curiously wonderful “Welcome Back, Aliens” campaign was recognized as a Highly Commended entry for the Best Communication Strategy, Tourism category, applauding the destination’s bold, story-driven approach to welcoming visitors back and spotlighting the communities and experiences that make the region feel “out of this world.”

“Being recognized as a Highly Commended entry by City Nation Place is an incredible honor for our team and our community,” said Mark Everton, CEO of Explore Seattle Southside. “With ‘Welcome Back, Aliens,’ we had fun leaning into our region’s quirky, sci-fi connections while showcasing the genuinely warm, welcoming spirit of our residents, businesses, and attractions. This campaign is about reminding visitors that no matter where you’re coming from, you’ll feel right at home in Seattle Southside.”

With more than 180 entry submissions from 28 countries around the world, competition for each of the ten categories was fierce. An international panel of place leaders judged the categories. Chaired by Clare Dewhirst, Director of City Nation Place, the jury welcomes representatives from Australia’s Gold Coast to Ottawa and from Namibia to Türkiye.

“A great place brand strategy requires ongoing commitment, passion, and perseverance. It can be a thankless task, which often isn’t well-recognised; that is why it is such a privilege to take a moment to celebrate those who successfully connect the dots between what makes a place attractive for residents, visitors, and the private sector, ensuring their communities thrive. Congratulations to all our winners and highly commended entries on their exemplary work over the past year.” Clare Dewhirst, Director of City Nation Place.

About City Nation Place
City Nation Place's mission is to help cities, regions, and nations grow their place economies and improve the quality of life for their communities. With events located around the world, City Nation Place brings together leading place brand and marketing practitioners to connect, collaborate, and share best practices that build stronger, more resilient futures for places. The City Nation Place Awards have become the definitive recognition of excellence for cities, regions, and nations, and City Nation Place continues to serve as a trusted source for research, insights, and thought leadership in place branding. Learn more at citynationplace.com.