The City of Moose Jaw is the winner of a national marketing award for the promotion of Canada versus Norway “Moose War” that took place in early 2019.

At the annual Economic Development Association of Canada (EDAC) conference, Moose Jaw was given the award for best marketing material in the “Event” category.

The City of Moose Jaw entered the EDAC awards with a submission called “Mac – the Six Million Dollar Moose.” 

“This award truly belongs to our community,” said Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmie. “Without our city rallying behind Mac, the rest of the world would not have paid near as much attention. We are proud of the community partnerships that were strengthened throughout the two months of intense, and very fun, media coverage.” 

According to a report by Meltwater Canada, commissioned by the City of Moose Jaw, the total monetary value of the news coverage was around $6.3 million, plus another $1.1 million in social media value. 

It all began back in January this year after Outdoor Canada published an article about Mac the Moose. The article noted that Mac had lost the international title of “World’s Largest Moose Statue” to Norway back in 2014. 

Regina based social media influencers Justin Reves and Greg Moore released a video in front of Mac the Moose on January 11, 2019. In it, they stated, in jest: “Dear people of Moose Jaw, an egregious offence has been committed against you by the people of Norway. We people of Saskatchewan, we are friendly, we are kind, we will give you the shirt off our back. But when you come after our national treasures, internationally known around the world, we will not abide that.” 

In the Meltwater report, it was found that the phrase “Mac the Moose”, has been seen around the world more than 993,000 times and news stories were printed in Norway, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Romania, India, China and Russia.

“Team Mac,” which consists of several local business owners, are now on schedule to replace Mac’s antlers on October 9, which will allow Mac to reclaim his tallest moose title. 

The City of Moose Jaw is now eligible for EDAC’s annual President’s Cup award, given to the best overall campaign from all category winners. The President’s Cup will be awarded at the EDAC conference’s President’s Dinner Tuesday, September 24 in Edmonton, Alberta.