by Nick Burt
Each year the communication departments from the Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries, Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkansas Baptist News, and longtime Arkansas Baptist, Trennis Henderson representing the Women’s Missionary Union, take part in the Baptist Communicators Association’s Wilmer C. Fields awards competition. In the 56th year of the competition, each of the Arkansas representatives won awards in a wide array of categories.
Baptist Communicators Association (BCA) is a nationwide group made up of Southern Baptist communication professionals from SBC agencies, state conventions, Baptist newspapers, and Baptist universities. Each year, this group gathers for a conference consisting of workshops and the annual awards ceremony. The award submissions are submitted early in the year and undergo a round of peer-reviewed judging from professionals in related fields. This year, the conference was postponed and the awards were announced virtually due to adjustments as a result of COVID-19.
Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries brought home two awards for their work in 2019. Stella Prather, Communications Director said, “As a BCA member for more than 20 years, I have so much respect for our peers across the SBC who participate in the Wilmer C. Fields awards, and I’m grateful to participate and be honored this way.”
Public Relations for Special Events
SECOND PLACE – 125th Anniversary Celebration
Promotional or Advertisement: Series
SECOND PLACE – Build, Strengthen, Restore: 2019 Thanksgiving Offering
The Communications Team from the Arkansas Baptist State Convention was a finalist for two grand prize awards in two different categories and took home 10 other awards including six in first place. Greg Addison, Associate Executive Director remarked, “I am very proud of our communications staff and grateful for their work engaging Arkansas Baptists in our cooperative mission work.” Addison continued, “BCA is very helpful because this process challenges us to strive for the best ways to do our work. The peer reviews help us learn, develop better platforms, and build a communication ministry that connects Arkansas Baptists together in the best way possible.”
Total Public Relations or Development Campaign
FIRST PLACE – The Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering: 2019
Interactive Communications – Website, organization or company site: Custom-built
FIRST PLACE – SuperSummerArkansas.com
Website, event or promotion site: Adapted template
FIRST PLACE – PraiseworksArkansas.com
Email Marketing – Single Email
FIRST PLACE – Mission + Ministry E-Newsletter – May, Disaster Relief Edition
Email Marketing – Series
FIRST PLACE – Mission + Ministry E-Newsletter
Video: Promotion
THIRD PLACE – The Dixie Jackson Report
Audio: Broadcast/Podcast
SECOND PLACE – Inspire On The Go: The Road To Redemption Pt. 1
Design – Print Collateral: Newsletter
FIRST PLACE – Missions + Ministry Print Newsletter, September 2019 Edition
SECOND PLACE – Missions + Ministry Print Newsletter, January 2019 Edition
THIRD PLACE – Missions + Ministry Print Newsletter, March 2019 Edition
Arthur S. Davenport Award for Exceptional Achievement in Public Relations and Development
FINALIST – The Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering – 2019
Diane Reasoner Award for Exceptional Achievement in Interactive Communications
FINALIST – SuperSummerArkansas.com
FINALIST – Mission + Ministry E-Newsletter
Ouachita Baptist University’s Office of Marketing & Communication won a grand prize award in one category, was a grand prize finalist in another category and took home seven other awards including four in first place. Brooke Zimny, Assistant to the President for Communications & Marketing, said “Winning a grand prize from BCA is a huge honor, and I am so proud of our team for earning one for the third consecutive year.” She added, “They produce outstanding work throughout the year, are expert collaborators and tell the Ouachita story well in so many ways.”
Full list of Ouachita’s awards:
Total Public Relations or Development Campaign
FIRST PLACE – Legacy Campaign
Communications and/or Marketing Strategy
SECOND PLACE – Best Value Marketing Campaign
Interactive Communications – Website, organization or company site
THIRD PLACE – Ouachita GIFs & Stickers
Social Media – Single Post
FIRST PLACE – Meaningful Work Video Series
Video: Editorial Feature
FIRST PLACE – Ouachita Alumni: Justin Seale
Video: Promotion
FIRST PLACE – Patterson School of Natural Sciences Video
Design: Print Collateral – Integrated Branding
THIRD PLACE – Connect Event Branding
Diane Reasoner Award for Exceptional Achievement in Interactive Communications
WINNER – Meaningful Work Video Series (Social Media: Campaign or Event)
M.E. Dodd Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Radio, Television, Film and Video
FINALIST – Patterson School of Natural Sciences Video (Video: Promotion – 2-5 minutes)
Additionally, the former staff of the Arkansas Baptist News was honored with five awards, including one for first place.
Photography – News: Single Photo
FIRST PLACE – Prayer for Victims of Sexual Abuse – Caleb Yarbrough
SECOND PLACE – African American Southern Baptist Casts His Vote – Caleb Yarbrough
THIRD PLACE – LifeWay Moving Truck – Caleb Yarbrough
News Writing: Single Article
Third Place – Cutting Hair, Sharing Christ at Acts 1:8 One Day – Sarah Davis
First-Person Column
SECOND PLACE – The Triumph and Tragedy of the Past 50 years – Tim Yarbrough
Trennis Henderson, longtime Arkansas Baptist & former Editor of the Arkansas Baptist News and Communications Director for Ouachita Baptist University was also honored with several BCA awards. As a national correspondent for WMU, Henderson won a grand prize award and three additional awards including one in first place.
Feature Writing – Single Article: 750-1500 words
FIRST PLACE – WMU of Virginia streetwalking ministry offers light in darkness of Richmond prostitution zone
Feature Writing – Series or Package
THIRD PLACE – Jocelyn Henry-Whitehead pursues ministry in the wake of domestic violence
Feature Writing – Blog
SECOND PLACE – Pursue God in Worship
Leonard Holloway Award for Exceptional Achievement in Feature Writing
WINNER – WMU of Virginia streetwalking ministry offers light in darkness of Richmond prostitution zone (Single article – 750-1,500 words)