Washington Prime Group Properties Honor Class of 2020 Through Creative #ScholarSpree Campaign

As a way to create meaningful moments of connection at a time when schools were forced to cancel graduation ceremonies and senior year milestones due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Washington Prime Group Inc. (NYSE: WPG) properties around the country provided special opportunities throughout the summer to honor 2020 graduates and to commemorate their accomplishments.

Washington Prime Group hosted a digital graduation cap photo contest called #ScholarSpree, presented in partnership with Vervantis, Inc and Lewis Sign. Graduates from the class of 2020 were encouraged to decorate the top of their graduation cap, or submit a creative graduation photo, and then share their masterpiece on social media, tagging @WashingtonPrimeGroup with the hashtag #ScholarSpree. All of the entries were posted on a landing page where friends and family voted for their favorite design.

The contest included a $10,000 giveaway to 13 lucky winners who won prizes ranging from $500 to $3,000 to spend at any Washington Prime Group property nationwide. The prize money is intended to help graduates prepare for their next steps after graduation.

The contest sparked excitement from coast to coast, driving 224,621 views of the #ScholarSpree landing page, and 32% of those views converted to explore additional content.

During the duration of #ScholarSpree, which launched May 6 and ran through June 12, 420 entries rolled in from around the country and more than 34,600 votes were cast for the contest. The contest garnered 81 news articles and 24 broadcast stories. An additional 258 social media mentions earned the initiative a total estimated reach of nearly 22 million people.

After the contest closed, 13 winning graduates were announced from the following properties: Ashland Town Center, Cottonwood Mall, Grand Central Mall, Jefferson Valley Mall, Lincolnwood Town Center, The Mall at Fairfield Commons, Polaris Fashion Place, Scottsdale Quarter, Waterford Lakes Town Center and WestShore Plaza.

All of the #ScholarSpree entries have been pulled together to create a unique work of art – a digital mosaic and photo grid – which will be shared on Washington Prime Group property websites and social media. The celebratory tribute is another way to honor and bring together graduates across the country, during this time of social distancing.

About Washington Prime Group

Washington Prime Group: National footprint with local flavor. With 100 town centers throughout the US, we’re as American as apple pie. As a matter of fact, we are also as American as deep dish pizza in Chicago, Hawaiian poke salad, vegan spring rolls in Malibu, El Paso Tex-Mex, Maryland crab cakes, kimchi in Orange County, Memphis barbeque and a Kansas City porterhouse. Our well regarded infrastructure, from Hawaii to Connecticut, and pretty much everywhere else in between, allows our tenant and sponsor partners to benefit from the operating efficacy and economies of scale at a large national real estate company, alongside local management who possess comprehensive knowledge of the specific locale within which they reside. Washington Prime Group is a registered trademark of the Company. Learn more at www.washingtonprime.com.