04/27/2026
Award recipients in our department's 2026 Emerging Excellence competition were announced at the recent "Connections" awards and celebrations event.
Winner in the Design Category was James Hill, for Flyer for CATHARSIS Nashville. The judges complimented the flyer’s architectural design and strategy, noting that it demonstrated a clear understanding of the audience and the organization's purpose.
Winners in the Research Category were Abigail Encalade and Grace Lappenga, for their project, PR Graduate Career Readiness. The judges noted that this was an impressively well-executed research study that clearly identified a gap in career preparation for PR graduates. The mixed-methods approach provided compelling evidence, and the study identified important implications for the structure of PR programs.
Winner in the Social Media Content Category was Ellie Wobbe, for Phi Mu Executive Committee Introductions. The judges appreciated the creativity of this post, noting that using design inspiration from Pinterest was pleasantly unexpected and would compel audiences to swipe through. They also highlighted how it tells a story through images rather than text, sharing just enough to pique interest. The impressive metrics also illustrate its quality of engagement.
Winner in the Strategic Planning Category was Kaylin Moore, for her WNBA Young Member Recruitment Campaign. The judges said that this campaign demonstrated a clear vision of the goals to be achieved and the tactics to accomplish them. The campaign stayed focused on the goals throughout and used engaging, interesting tactics to draw in a new audience.
Winner in the Writing Category was James Hill, for his Organizational Feature for Tennessee Justice Center’s Community Outreach. The judges said that this feature excelled at grabbing readers’ attention immediately. They noted that it can be hard to blend strong storytelling with facts, and said this feature did so beautifully.
The winners were announced by Christie Kleinmann, faculty member in the department.
