UNO Shines at Nebraska Public Relations Awards

The students, faculty and staff of UNO have been selected among the best in the state for public relations and communications following the 2018 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Nebraska Paper Anvil Awards, which were recently held on Wednesday, Jan. 23.

All told, UNO received 16 awards, including a record 13 earned by students from UNO PRSSA; UNO School of Communication's public relations and advertising capstone courses; UNO's student-run agency Capstone Communication; and the UNO Ad Club.

The awards, which highlight the work of professionals from across the state and surrounding regions, were presented with the theme "Honoring the Master Strategists of Public Relations” and presented awards to 148 area organization professionals and students. The entrees were judged by members of the Kansas City, Missouri PRSA chapter.

Among the professional division, UNO University Communications received awards in the following categories:

"Annual Reports"

• Award of Merit for "UNO Office of University Communications Five-Year Report."

"Internal Communications"

• Award of Merit for the "UNO New Semester Guide."

"Smartphone & Tablet Applications"

• Award of Excellence for the "UNO UNOmaha Mobile App."

"These awards are a testament to the high quality work and commitment we have to celebrating and supporting UNO," said Makayla McMorris, executive director of UNO University Communications. "To compete and succeed against some of the state's best professionals as an in-house communications team is truly special."

Additionally, students from UNO Capstone Communication received two recognitions in the "professional" category, one of which was the top-scored submission:

"Publications"

• Award of Excellence and top-scored submission for "CommUNO 2018."

"Video"

• Award of Merit for "Communication Studies Video."

"Nebraska PRSA board members recognize that our young professionals are the future for innovation in public relations." said Melodae Morris, Capstone Communication Advisor, "The Paper Anvil Awards is a forum for students to showcase their talent and skills. We congratulate all the UNO students and also the University Communications staff."

The remaining awards were from the "Student" division, recognizing the industry's "up-and-coming professionals." Two student entries were also deemed the top-scored submissions in their respective categories.

The entries were compared to that of their peers at other universities, but were judged by members of the Kansas City, Missouri PRSA chapter on the same criteria as the "Professional" entries. The winning entries were:

"Outstanding Branding"

• Award of Excellence and top-scored submission: UNO Capstone Communication for "UNO International Studies Branding Campaign."
• Award of Excellence: Maverick PR for "Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium"

"Outstanding Campus Event"

• Award of Merit: UNO Advertising Club for "Best and Worst Super Bowl Panel Event."
• Award of Merit: UNO PRSSA for "Mav Myth Busters. Bust the Myth. Become an Organ Donor."
• Award of Excellence: UNO PRSSA for "Big Events in The Big O!"
• Award of Excellence: Maverick PR for "The Genius of Warren Buffett: The Science of Investing and the Art of Managing (GOB)"

"Outstanding Community or Nonprofit Event"

• Award of Merit: UNO Capstone Communication for "UNO School of Communication 2018 High School Media Conference"
• Award of Excellence: UNO PRSSA for "Santa Paws 2017."

"Outstanding Newsletter"

• Award of Excellence and the top scorer: UNO Capstone Communication for "CommUNO 2018."

"Outstanding Social Media or Electronic Media Outreach Campaign"

• Award of Merit: Maverick PR for "The Genius of Warren Buffett: The Science of Investing and the Art of Managing (GOB)"
• Award of Merit: UNO Capstone Communication for "UNO School of Communication Social and Electronic Media Campaign."

"We are so proud of our students! It is wonderful to see their work recognized." said Hugh Reilly, Director of UNO's School of Communication. "UNO’s students were the only students to receive awards in the professional category."