by Doug Edlund, UTIA Marketing and Communications

Team members with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Office of Marketing and Communications and UT Extension Family and Consumer Sciences have been recognized with top awards in their field. The professionals were honored by the Association of Communications Excellence, or ACE, for their work in the organization’s annual critique and awards program. In all, five members of the units received six awards for writing, podcasts, design, and a communications campaign.

ACE is an international organization of professionals who practice in all areas of communications. It was organized in 1913 as a professional society for college agricultural editors. Today ACE members include editors, video producers, digital content creators, graphic designers, administrators, photographers, and writers. Diversity and inclusion are at the core of ACE values, where all are welcome and all are heard.

Entries for the ACE critique and awards competition are received from across the United States and internationally. The entries are evaluated and critiqued by judges who are experts in their fields. The winning entries receive either a gold, silver or bronze award.

Staff from UTIA recognized this year are:

Charles Denney, UTIA Marketing and Communications

• Bronze: Writing for Visual Media, “Drive-In Agriculture”
• Bronze: Podcasts, “Cooking with Luca”

Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications

• Silver: Writing for Magazines, “The Light on the Hill”

Karen Sergent, Cris Miramontes, and Joe Clark, FCS Creative Content Team

• Silver: Poster Design, “On My Own” (scholarly poster)
• Bronze: Logo Design, “Tennessee Association for Family and Community Education”
• Bronze: Marketing and Communications Campaign with a Budget of $1,000 or more, “Shop Smart Tennessee”

Across the past two decades, UTIA Marketing and Communications team members have won numerous ACE Awards, including recognition for outstanding professional skills and awards of excellence. This is the first year that members of Family and Consumer Sciences have entered the competition.

UTIA faculty and staff do not have to be full-time professional communicators to be a part of ACE. Employees with a communications component to their job, or who are interested in any aspect of the profession, are invited to participate.