Jekyll Island's Shrimp & Grits Festival Honored at Southeast Festivals and Events Kaleidoscope Awards

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga., Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Jekyll Island's Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival received gold honors at the 8th Annual Southeast Festivals & Events Conference. Winning "Best Festival with a budget under $75,000", Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival received highest honors an event can receive at the conference. The winners are selected by members of the event community. Receiving an award distinguishes the Shrimp & Grits Festival as one of the best in the Southeast.  

"The quality of submissions continues to go up each year making it more difficult to choose only one winner," mentioned Carolyn Morris, executive director for Southeast Festivals and Events Association (SFEA). "It is a shame that only one can 'win gold.' It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your event or community and award those who have worked hard creating the perfect event or festival. The recognition a festival gets for winning is priceless."

The best and brightest were spotlighted at Southeast Festivals and Events Association (SFEA) Annual Conference through the Kaleidoscope Awards Banquet. Top festivals and events throughout the southeast, such as Jekyll Island's Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival, were recognized for their outstanding contribution to the events industry.

"It's amazing to see how much the Shrimp & Grits Festival has progressed within the past 5 years. It has truly become a signature event for the Georgia coast," stated Beth Burnsed, Director of Special Events for the Jekyll Island Authority. "We are thrilled with the growing success of the festival and extremely honored to have been recognized by the SFEA. We look forward to many more years of shrimp and grits on Jekyll Island!"

Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival is a weekend long celebration of Georgia shrimp and southern grits. The event celebrated its 5th year last September and welcomed over 20,000 guests to Jekyll Island.

About Southeast Festivals and Events Kaleidoscope Awards

The ceremony recognized diverse items such as best t-shirt, best volunteer to best event. The awards acknowledge special achievement in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The awards program is sponsored by RCS Productions.

SOURCE Jekyll Island Authority