UW Extension Communications Office Wins National Honors

Video and podcasting products from University of Wyoming Extension earned first-place national awards, and print publications received silver and bronze honors in the 2018 Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) critique and awards program.

Members of Extension’s Office of Communications and Technology were recognized during the organization’s annual conference Aug. 3-8 in Scottsdale, Ariz. ACE members include communication teams and faculty members in colleges of agriculture and extension offices across the nation’s land-grant universities and agricultural-related organizations and associations.

“It’s exciting to see the diverse work we do -- video, podcasts, writing and design -- be recognized for excellence among entries from land-grant institutions across the nation,” says Tana Stith, office manager and graphic designer. “I’m proud to be part of such a hard-working, talented, amazing team.”

Video Producer David Keto received two gold awards. The first was in the technology education category for the iDevice Mobile Video Production Guide, available at www.bit.ly/MobilVidProduction. The second was in the informational or noncredit educational video production category for “Pollinator Paradise: Southeast Wyoming Pollinator Habitat Tour,” available at www.bit.ly/pollinatortour.

Extension and Cent$ible Nutrition Program video Producer Lindsay Hadfield received the overall Outstanding Professional Skill Award and gold in electronic media, audio, for the podcast episode “Voices on the Range: Tom Wright” at www.bit.ly/RPsound.

Stith and writer-editors Steve Miller and Chavawn Kelley and graphic designer Tanya Engel were recognized for printed publications.

Reflections magazine, the research publication of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, received a silver award in technical publications. Stories include a plant sciences faculty member searching the Big Horn Basin for predators of the alfalfa weevil and a scientist’s exploration of the social habits and benefits for the soil microbe myxobacteria. The 2018 edition is at www.bit.ly/2018wyoreflections.

CONNECT magazine, which features stories and photographs of extension educators engaging with Wyoming citizens, won the bronze award among one- to full-color publications. The publication is at www.bit.ly/2018uwconnect.

The office also received a bronze for its production of the annual Barnyards and Backyards newspaper insert in the marketing single item category. More than 120,000 copies were printed as inserts into Wyoming’s weekly and daily newspapers and other state print publications. The insert features stories written by extension educators and specialists. This year’s insert also is online at www.bit.ly/2018bbinsert.