The Department of Communication and Marketing is the proud winner of two prestigious international awards, recognised by their peers for outstanding work in the communications profession.
Lacea Loader, Director of the department, says: “Receiving international recognition from prestigious professional organisations such as the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a huge achievement. It is the culmination of consistent high-quality work by a team of dedicated professional communicators, and I am extremely proud of these achievements – especially because the UFS was one of the few universities in the country to have achieved such international recognition so far this year.”
CASE Gold Circle of Excellence Award
CASE is a global non-profit association dedicated to educational advancement – alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services – sharing the goal of championing education to transform lives and society.
Each year, CASE recognises best practices in advancement, as well as outstanding people contributing to the growth and understanding of the advancement profession. The awards acknowledge superior accomplishments with a lasting impact, demonstrating the highest level of professionalism, and delivering exceptional results. A total of 2 752 entries in 100 categories from 587 institutions were received for the 2020 awards.
High praise was received from the judges for this project: “This is one of the most exciting entries we have seen in our many years of judging. With the theme of ‘I have a voice’, they celebrated the multiple languages spoken on their campus. The planning and emphasis on inclusivity were extraordinary. They engaged their entire community in the process and the celebration. As they said in their nomination form, We did not want this to be just another festival that happens ‘on’ campus, but rather a festival that happens ‘for’ campus. They succeeded beautifully.”
IABC Gold Quill Award of Merit
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IABC is a global network of communications professionals. For more than 40 years, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards have been recognising and rewarding excellence in strategic communication worldwide. The awards programme is recognised as one of the most prestigious in the communications profession. This is the 9th award the department has received from the IABC. In 2014, the department also received the prestigious IABC Jake Wittmer Research Award.
This year, the awards committee selected 201 entries as world-class, with 81 entries earning Excellence Awards and 120 Merit Awards. Winners come from all over the world, with 12 countries represented in the list of winners. Some of the competitors in the Audiovisual communication skills category included international companies such as Tiffany and Co., Crown Castle from the US, Sappi Southern Africa, and Cropley Communication from Australia.
The judges commended the creativity and innovation of the photographs: “A very creative campaign that would leave a lasting impression on everyone who sees it.”
“A really innovate campaign likely to connect to the audience and make them think.”