UW Communications, Marketing Staff Members Honored for Excellence

University of Wyoming Institutional Communications and Marketing specialists received awards during the Jan. 23-25 Wyoming Press Association (WPA) Associates’ group annual contest.

Winners were announced at the WPA’s annual winter meeting in Casper. The convention attracts Wyoming’s newspaper professionals and the WPA’s Associate members for two days of workshops, seminars and speakers.

About 175 WPA and Associate members throughout Wyoming attended the convention, which culminated with the awards banquet where the top newspapers in three divisions (daily, Casper Star-Tribune; large weekly, Jackson Hole News and Guide; and small weekly, Glenrock Independent) were named. Individual award winners also were announced in several categories.

UW communications and marketing specialists received the most awards -- 17 -- among the state’s public relations specialists. This year’s contest drew a high number of entries from communications specialists from around the state. UW personnel competed against media representatives such as those from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Department of Transportation, Wyoming Military Department, Secretary of State’s Office, Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Rural Electric Association and area public relations firms.

In the Associates’ contest, Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for communications and marketing, won a first- and second-place award; and Institutional Communications Specialists Milton Ontiveroz and Ron Podell won a first-place award and an honorable mention, respectively.

UW Institutional Marketing staff members Ted Brummond, Michelle Eberle, Emily Edgar, Ali Grossman, Jason Harper, Mary Jung, Micaela Myers and Kyle Spradley all combined to win 13 first-, second- and third-place awards.

“Our staff members work hard to tell UW’s story across Wyoming and beyond, and it is great seeing them recognized for their quality work,” Baldwin says. “We appreciate the cooperation of the campus community in spreading the good word about the university.”

Ontiveroz again was selected as the Associate members’ liaison, representing the Associates on the WPA board. He is only the second person to hold that position in the association’s 27-year history.

WPA Associate members, including those from UW, attended four workshops last Friday; participated in a roundtable discussion on media relations strategies; and held their annual Associates’ meeting.

Listed are the UW staff members with their individual awards; contest categories in which they won; titles of their entries; and what the judges had to say about their work (where provided):

UW Institutional Communications:

 -- Baldwin, first place, Three News Releases on One Topic, “Research About Wyoming Wildlife,” judge’s comment, “Nice work on 3 different releases. Clear and concise.”

-- Baldwin, second place, One News Release, “UW Economist Finds Mixed Values of ‘Thoughts and Prayers,’” judge’s comment, “Well-written summation of provocative new research findings. I wanted to know more.”

-- Ontiveroz, first place, Three Features on One Topic, “UW Rodeo Teams Compete at CNFR.”

-- Podell, honorable mention, One News Release, “UW Receives $15.8 Million NSF Grant for Instrumentation for New King Air Research Aircraft.”

UW Institutional Marketing:

-- Eberle, second place, Page Layout and Design, “Adventurous and Courageous.”

-- Edgar and Brummond, first place, Page Layout and Design, “Creating Connections.”

-- Edgar and Brummond, third place, Photo Page or Story, “The Big Picture.”

-- Grossman, first place, Single Video -- Feature, “UW Iron Pour,” judge’s comment, “High production quality and strong use of imagery.”

-- Grossman, first place, Single Video -- Full Feature, “The World Needs More Cowboys and So Does Wyoming,” judge’s comments, “The video had a great story that was easy to follow. I loved the music you paired with it. The interview with Aura Newlin was great, and the audio was clean. The B-roll fit great to the story line. I think you nailed the video highlighting an alumni member and sharing her past and how that has helped her give back within our community here in Wyoming.”

-- Grossman, first place, Single Video -- Public Service Announcement, Instructional or Educational, “Cowboy Commitment.”

-- Grossman, second place, Single Video -- Public Service Announcement, Instructional or Educational (Full Feature), “Discovering New Questions Through Chasing Chipmunks,” judge’s comments, “Excellent use of B-Roll though, if possible, get a camera that can do smoother slow motion for future projects. The topic was well covered, concise and did a good job of conveying the subject’s enthusiasm.”

-- Harper, second place, Feature Photo, “Education@UWYO Magazine,” judge’s comment, “Good composition here. Possibly, if the student’s project board would have been more visible, there would be more context.”

-- Harper, second place, Magazine Article, “Supporting Educators: Implementing the New State Science Standards Part 1,” judge’s comment, “Great connection to core mission of magazine. Well written and interesting, too.”

-- Harper, second place, Single Video -- Feature, “Mursion Simulation with Agriculture Education Students at UW,” judge’s comment, “Good use of call-outs to explain the technology.”

-- Jung, third place, Single Video -- Full Feature, “University of Wyoming Rodeo Life: Nicole Sederstrom,” judge’s comment, “A fantastic student interview that not only showcased Nicole Sederstrom’s story and why she is at UW, but also gives praise to the dedication and strength of the program and college. The video ticks a lot of boxes for marketing and recruitment material, all while telling a great story. Technically speaking, the video was well put together. I like seeing a mix of ambient audio with music and the interview. B-roll was great and fit the story perfectly. Well done.”

-- Jung, Grossman and Spradley, second place, Three Video Features on Same Topic or Campaign -- Full Feature, “UWyo Student Features,” judge’s comments, “Very well-done profiles of several students at the university to showcase the possibilities of enrollment. They are enticing and clearly achieve their goal of tying in to the larger project.”

-- Myers, UWyo Magazine editor, and staff members Baldwin, Eberle and Brummond, second place, Publication, judge’s comments, “Always love reading UWyo Magazine. A top-notch job and a real attention to detail.”