York University is creating content that matters and has earned eight prestigious awards in recognition of the high-quality work produced by Communications & Public Affairs (C&PA).
The awards – four gold from the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) and four (one gold, two silver and one bronze) from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II Accolades Awards – highlight York’s rich storytelling and innovative concepts that bring its distinctive brand to life.
The University is recognized as a leader in engaging audiences in meaningful and compelling ways through The York University Magazine, in digital communications, social media and video.
“Our communication strategies and products constantly evolve to align with the needs and interests of our audiences,” says Susan Webb, chief communications and marketing officer, C&PA. “I am proud to see a wide range of initiatives recognized externally as best in class – this underscores that our efforts are working.”
COPA Awards
On Feb. 4, The York University Magazine earned four gold medals at the 2020 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA), including Best Publication in the Best of Canada division.
COPA is recognized as the premier digital publishing awards program in the country and highlights outstanding achievements in Canada’s digital media landscape.
The York University Magazine was nominated for five awards in four categories in the Academic division, winning gold in three – Best Print and Digital Magazine; Best Photojournalism; and Best Website. The magazine also took the top award for Best Publication in the Best of Canada division, a prize granted by judges based on the publication’s overall success.
Deirdre Kelly, editor of The York University Magazine, is thrilled the magazine is being recognized across the industry.
“Art director James Nixon, publisher Rod Thornton and I comprise a small team,” she says, “but we’ve managed to pull off something big. Four golds in one night is an accomplishment not just for us, but for the University at large. It says to all of Canada that what we’re doing here at York is top level.”
The magazine was recognized by COPA CEO Marty Seto, who said, “In the Best of Canada portion of the COPAs, The York University Magazine was awarded Best Publication as compared to all the other entries in the Business and Consumer divisions – that is a COPA first.”
The magazine is produced on behalf of York University’s Office of Alumni Engagement. You can subscribe here: https://magazine.yorku.ca.
CASE Accolades Awards
Four awards from the CASE District II Accolades Awards on Jan. 20 recognize the creative and engaging work from C&PA in 2020.
“The awards shine a spotlight on the University’s inspiring stories and expertise in digital content creation in the categories of: Digital Communications; Social Media; Events; and News & Research Video. This is quite an accomplishment with competitors from local and U.S. universities in the mid-Atlantic district,” says Robin Edmison, director, University Brand and Marketing.
The awards include:
#PeopleofYU – Gold in the Marketing category, Marketing on a Shoestring; and Bronze in the Digital Communications category, Social Media. The #PeopleofYU campaign was inspired by the viral sensation “Humans of New York,” which was adapted to fit York University. It featured bi-weekly profiles of exceptional York community members through photo, video and storytelling.
York Community Holiday Skate – Silver in the Special Event category, Event on a Shoestring. The York Community Holiday Skate was a celebratory year-end event in 2019 that brought the University community together for a two-hour free skate. Skaters also gave back to the community with a collection of non-perishable food donations for the local food bank. Watch the video for a recap of this celebration.
York U Research Hubs – Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) – Bronze in the Video category for News & Research Videos. This is one of three videos in a series featuring different York University Research Hubs. It introduces the VISTA collaborative and interdisciplinary research program which integrates vision science with computer vision to drive innovation in real-world applications. Watch the video here.
“I want to congratulate and thank the C&PA team for always setting a high bar and for being so passionate about telling stories of York’s positive impact. I have a feeling we will see more awards this year!” says Webb.
By Ashley Goodfellow Craig, deputy editor, YFile