Two U of A Staff Members Honored in 2019 Arkansas Press Women Communications Contest

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two communications professionals working on the University of Arkansas campus were among those honored by Arkansas Press Women in its 2019 professional communications contest. An awards luncheon was held May 4 in Springdale. 

Fred Miller, a science writer and photographer with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, received five awards, detailed below. From his office on the U of A campus, he provides communications services to the division's two statewide branches, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

• First Place in Specialty Articles — Science or Technology for "Chancellor's grant helps Division of Agriculture researcher attack rice blast from within"
• Second Place in Specialty Articles — Science or Technology for "Avian neuroscientists identify new stress response component in poultry brain"
• Second Place in Specialty Articles — Science or Technology for "Study of crop plants' cellular response to aphid pests earns U of A Chancellor's Grant"
• Second Place in News Story — Online Publication for "Soil scientists prepare to mark 350 years since discovery of 'cold fire'"
• Third Place in News Story — Online Publication for "Northeast Arkansas farmers facing big crop losses from heavy rains"

Michelle Parks, director of communications for the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, received three awards, detailed below. She directs strategic communications for the Fay Jones School, including press releases, Newswire stories, the annual ReView alumni magazine and other print pieces, website content and social media - highlighting school initiatives and emphasizing the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and alumni.

• First Place in Feature Story — Magazine, newsletter or other publication for "The Home of an Arkansas Architect"
• Second Place in Feature Story — Magazine, newsletter or other publication for "Double the Design Power"
• First Place in Publications regularly edited by entrant — Magazine/Magpaper for "ReView alumni magazine Winter 2017/2018"

First-place winners in the APW contest advance to the National Federation of Press Women competition if the winners are NFPW members. This year, 31 Arkansas first-place winners competed at the national level.

Parks will receive an honorable mention in the NFPW competition for the ReView alumni magazine Winter 2017/2018 issue. Cassidy Flanagin, the school's creative services manager, designed the award-winning publication, and Shawnya Meyers, the school's digital media specialist, contributed content to the magazine.

National awards will be presented June 27-29 at the NFPW convention in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. NFPW's national conference will be held in Arkansas in 2020.