The Apple Valley City Council on Thursday was presented the Telly Award statue for its economic development video, "Plant-Grow-Prosper," which was created to publicize "the economic vibrancy and diversity of the City," according to a memo to the council.

The Telly Awards, which were founded in 1978, recognize excellence in local, regional and cable television commercials, from small organizations to large advertising agencies; Studio 120 in Plymouth, which produced the video, was notified of the win this year in late April.

It's "one of the most sought-after awards in the industry," said City Planner Maggie Dykes.

Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce President Ed Kearney said he and Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland had talked for many years about creating an economic development video, but the money wasn't available.

Kearney acknowledged Studio 120 for "taking what was a dream and all of a sudden bringing it to reality" within the project budget; the city and chamber shared the costs, and many people and organizations within Apple Valley participated in the making of the video.

Mitch Waters, executive producer with Studio 120, said the Telly Awards receives thousands of entries each year, which are then rated by industry professionals. He said budgets are not taken into account in the contest, so a project with a large budget could go up against one with a small budget, with factors like creativity and production carrying the weight.

Kearney said he's been showing the video to businesses to promote Apple Valley's economic development.

The video is posted on the City of Apple Valley website homepage.