The Division of University Communications has collected another round of awards this spring in the areas of design, videography and social media.
The Winter 2019 issue of STATE, the magazine of the CSU system, won a Circle of Excellence Silver Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The international honor, for the story package “Borderlands of Southern Colorado,” was in the Editorial Design category, and was among 2,752 entries from 587 member institutions in 28 countries.
“In particular, this recognition is a tribute to the talent of art director and designer Mary Sweitzer,” said Coleman Cornelius, executive editor of STATE and Colorado State Magazine. “Mary has developed a sophisticated and high-impact design approach for our two magazines, seeking to visually convey the world-class work of our university system and its flagship campus and building on the important communication work accomplished by our many colleagues.”
Judges’ comments
According to CASE, judges said the piece took them “on a journey,” and they praised its “warmth and humanity.” The vintage photos and historical map effectively provided visual interest and a sense of time and place, they said, adding that they liked the varied elements — the map, the juxtaposition of old and new photos, and the full-bleed images. The judges also said they appreciated the echo of the cover photo on the final page — with the addition of color and a smile.
“These awards demonstrate our members’ success in advancing their institutions through their remarkable and varied work across all advancement disciplines,” said Sue Cunningham, CASE president and chief executive officer. “The CASE Circle of Excellence Awards demonstrate creativity and strategy. Not only are you being celebrated for excellence, your work engages important communities in the life of your campuses and institutions, advancing education to transform lives and society.”
Shorty Award
Also this spring, the Social and Digital Media team and the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences communications team earned a Shorty Award Audience Honor, which honors the best of the nation’s social media. The recognition was given for the team’s “Women in Science” video posted in April 2019.
The video debuted as part of CSU’s third annual Women in Science Symposium and features CSU undergraduate student and slam poet Merall Sherif reading one of her poems in research settings across the university. Each scene also featured CSU’s female faculty and students in science or research. The poem, titled “Building a World,” was written by Sherif specifically for the women across the university and for girls aspiring to become scientists and researchers themselves. The Shorty Award honors contributors Ashley Manweiler, assistant director of digital and social media; Kris Browning-Blas, director of communications for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and videographer Jason Russell.
Telly Awards
This spring CSU’s video team also won three Telly Awards, a national competition honoring excellence in video and television. Videographer Ron Bend won a Silver Telly for an episode of the National Parks Service series “Outside Science (inside parks)” shot at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The series started in 2016 as a way to celebrate the distinctive science work being done in the National Parks. It was produced as a partnership between CSU’s Journalism and Media Communication graduate program and the NPS.
Videographers Brian Buss and Ben Ward also won a Silver Telly for the “Proud to Be” mini-documentary series. The videos highlight the accomplishments of successful CSU alumni and were a major part of the University’s recent Proud to Be campaign.
Ward also won a Bronze Telly for a video series he shot for the Warner College of Natural Resources. For each video, he interviewed a faculty member and a student about their experiences in the college’s majors. The videos are hosted on the Warner website for prospective students to learn more about each field of study.
“A Test of Grit — One Student’s Story,” by videographer/co-producer Eric Hoffman and interviewer/producer Whei Wong Howerton, also won a Bronze Telly Award.
“This division and the university just keep benefitting from the extraordinary talents of all our teams,” said Pam Jackson, interim vice president for university communications. “It’s been remarkable to see this sustained year after year — more than 80 awards over a five-year span — and when our colleagues earn such prestige and recognition, we all win. Just a few months ago, in the 2019-20 CASE District VI Institutional Awards, the division received accolades for design and writing in STATE and Colorado State magazines, as well as the public relations team’s writing. Their award-winning work was supported by our other teams, including social, video, photography and web.”
