Seminole State College’s public relations team won Best of Show at the Oklahoma College Public Relations Association (OCPRA) annual conference at the Downstream Resort and Casino in Quapaw on July 10. The team won the top prize for their “Together We Grow” brand campaign, which centers around interviews with students, alumni, faculty and community partners. More than 500 entries were submitted in the competition from higher education institutions across Oklahoma.

Entries are judged by panels of experts in their respective fields who are not OCPRA members. Each category has two judges, and their scores are combined to calculate a winner. To determine Best of Show, OCPRA board members review the grand winner in each category and vote for their top three. Scores are tabulated and the Best of Show winner is determined.

In addition to Best of Show, the team also won awards in the following categories: Before and After, Web Design, Special Publications – Annual Report, Events and Promotions, Video Featurette, Campaign – General and Campaign – Recruitment.

“There’s no shortage of talent in higher ed public relations. We’re thrilled if we win one award when competing against the state’s two-year and four-year institutions, of all different sizes, both public and private. We’re grateful to be recognized for our work, and we left the conference inspired by the work of our peers,” Kim Pringle, Director of Community Relations, said.

Both the Before and After and Web Design awards were for SSC’s redesigned website. The redesign launched in August of 2022. The overhaul was completed by Web and Multimedia Coordinator Brooks Nickell.

“We put user experience at the forefront of the redesign. We streamlined site navigation, implemented a welcoming and bold style with an emphasis on photos and video. We also added a degree finder to assist students who are unsure of which degree they’d like to pursue,” Nickell said.

SSC’s 2022-2023 Annual Report was recognized in the Special Publications category. The annual report features copy, layout and design by Communications Coordinator Josh Hutton, as well as photos by Nickell.

SSC’s 28th Annual Spring Banquet materials placed in the Events and Promotions category. The key artwork and announcements were designed by Pringle. Hutton wrote copy and designed the event program and photography was shot and edited by Nickell.

The “Together We Grow” brand campaign won awards in the Video Featurette, Campaign – General and Campaign – Recruitment categories. Videos for the campaign were shot and edited by Nickell. Hutton wrote copy, designed advertising materials and interviewed subjects for testimonials.

“Our goal was to create a campaign that captures the passion of our faculty and staff, the determination and capability of our students and the positive impact our campus achieves alongside our community partners,” Hutton said. “It may sound simple, it may sound cheesy, but I think now more than ever people need to hear that they aren’t alone. That someone’s rooting for their every success. You’d be hard pressed to find louder cheerleaders than the team at SSC.”

To date, SSC has released five videos since the campaign launched in April of 2023, with two more to be released before the fall semester begins on Aug. 14.

“This was the College’s strongest showing in the history of the OCPRA awards ceremony,” Lana Reynolds, President of Seminole State College, said. “We are incredibly proud of our public relations team. The recognition in these diverse categories highlights the team’s comprehensive skill set and their ability to excel in various facets of communication.”

For more information about Seminole State College and their award-winning “Together We Grow” brand campaign, visit sscok.edu.