MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Wins 18 Aster Awards, 22 Healthcare Advertising Awards for National Excellence in Healthcare Advertising

June 22, 2021

MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center’s Marketing Department is celebrating another year of outstanding excellence in healthcare advertising, marketing and communications, having won 18 Aster Awards and 22 Healthcare Advertising Awards, including a prestigious Best of Show designation for its COVID-19 response materials.

This year, over 4,400 entries were submitted for the 38th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards and MedStar Southern Maryland was one of 23 organizations that won a Best of Show designation, marking the second year in a row that the hospital has won a Best of Show award without the assistance of an outside advertising agency. In addition, MedStar Southern Maryland also received five gold awards, four silver awards, five bronze awards, and seven merit awards.


The Healthcare Advertising Awards is the oldest and one of the most widely respected healthcare advertising awards competitions in existence. A national panel of judges were tasked with reviewing all entries based on creativity, quality, message effectiveness, consumer appeal, graphic design, and overall impact.

In order to be considered for the 2021 Aster Awards – one of the nation’s most elite competitions dedicated to recognizing talented healthcare marketing professionals – healthcare organizations had to submit all advertising/marketing materials that were developed, produced and/or distributed during calendar year 2020.

MedStar Southern Maryland received a total of 18 Aster Awards this year including nine gold awards, five silver awards, and four bronze awards. All entries were judged by a diverse panel of industry experts and had to score in the top tiers amongst similar sized organizations.

“I’m so proud of the superb work that our department continues to produce every year. We are a small but mighty team with unique talents, all working in harmony toward a common goal,” said Prince George’s County native Cheryl Richardson, who has served as the director of marketing and community relations at MedStar Southern Maryland for nearly 12 years. “Being recognized on a national level is such an honor, especially considering the amount of time and effort that we put into giving that ‘wow’ factor. We’re humbled by all of this recognition.”

For more information about the Aster Awards program, visit www.asterawards.com.

For more information about the Healthcare Advertising Awards, visit www.healthcare-advertising-awards.com.