April 25, 2023
The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) recently honored Anne Arundel Community College during the 2022 Paragon Awards at the council’s national conference. AACC’s Strategic Communications team earned a gold award in the quick-turn video category for the team’s work on the 2022 commencement video as well as a bronze award in the newsletter category for its countywide magazine, Wingspan.
“I’m incredibly proud of our Strategic Communications team, and how these two pieces showcase their depth of talent," said Dan Baum, executive director of Strategic Communications at AACC. “We produce our best work when we live into our team values of creativity, collaboration, impact and fun. Winning two more Paragon Awards further validates that mindset.”
The quick-turn video entry was recorded, edited and produced before the last graduate even left the building after the 2022 commencement ceremony. To achieve this truly quick turn, AACC’s video team used a detailed template and recorded videos during the ceremonies while simultaneously sorting and editing footage. With the pandemic still in effect, the video served as an additional way graduates could share their successes and accomplishments with their friends and family.
Wingspan is delivered biannually to homes in Anne Arundel County. The magazine includes important registration information and condensed program listings to serve as a catalog-type resource. The winning issue was a special 60th-anniversary edition that highlighted stories from AACC's history.
“I love to celebrate the outstanding work of our community college marketers,” says Jeff Ebbing, NCMPR’s 2022-23 president. “The creativity and hard work that went into the winning entries is on par with some of the best agencies in the country and is a testament to the talent and dedication of our members. These people are pros in every sense of the word.”
The 2022 Paragon Awards drew 1,726 entries from 323 colleges across the country and was judged by more than 40 professionals from the marketing and public relations industry.
NCMPR’s Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges. It's the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.