FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas 30-second promotional video, aired during halftime of nationally televised athletics events during the 2000-2001 season, has won the silver trophy in the third annual AXIEM AWARDS for absolute excellence in electronic media.

The promotional, entitled "University of Arkansas Research," focused on positioning the University of Arkansas as a world-class research university, in concert with its institutional goals.

The AXIEM AWARDS COMPETITION is the only program representing the entire electronic media industry. The AXIEM AWARD sets the standard for creative communication and production excellence in electronic media by establishing a level playing field for all entries. Each entry is judged solely on its own merits against an absolute standard of excellence established for each media, market, and category.

The promotional was written and produced by Rebecca Wood, manager for media relations and video production for University Relations. The filming was done by Franklin Evarts; editing was done by Will Gisler and Marty Rhodes, all three are with Ozark Film and Video Productions, Inc. of Springdale. Ozark Film and Video Productions entered the promotional for competition under the nationally televised public relations category.

"It's always gratifying to work with Rebecca and University Relations, especially on the UA halftime spots. They're so well conceived and produced that it's easy to see why they consistently compete so favorably on a national level," said Dan Borengasser, vice president of Ozark Film and Video Productions.

"This 30-second spot has proved to be mot effective in focussing attention on the University’s prowess as a research institution," said roger Williams, associate vice chancellor for University Relations.

"Rebecca Wood did a terrific job on this - winning her third national award in as many years - and it’s gratifying to see her talents recognized once again. We are also indebted to Ozark Film and Video for the talent and expertise they bring time and again to video projects at the University of Arkansas," Williams said.

"I’m thrilled that this work has been recognized by such a prestigious awards program," Wood said. "This is the third halftime promotional that Ozark Film and Video has done with us and subsequently the third that has received a top national award. They have a real insight to our vision and are as enthusiastic to share that vision as we are."

The creative concept for the promotional was to focus retrospectively at significant groundbreaking research that has been done at the University. Visually, this was done utilizing archived black and white photos dating back to the 1920s. The piece then was transitioned to today's leading-edge work taking place at the U of A by filming current researchers using dramatic colorization.

An update of the promotional will begin airing with the start of the 2001-2001 athletic season. It will feature three members of the UA faculty who are gaining national recognition for their research.

A downloadable image of the award as well as a complete listing of 2001 Winners is available at http://www.axiemawards.com/. Nearly 1600 entries were received for the 2001 competition. There are two levels of national recognition. The COPPER AXIEM is the top honor given to only 9% of this year's entrants. The SILVER AXIEM is awarded to finalists, given to only 28% of the 2001 entrants.