The Associated Church Press [1] (ACP) and the Evangelical Press Association [2] (EPA) recently recognized Concordia Seminary, St. Louis with top awards for excellence in writing, design, video and digital content.
“We are deeply honored by this recognition of our work,” said Vicki Biggs, senior vice president of Seminary Advancement and chief communications officer. “Our team of talented communications professionals is committed to striving for excellence in our faith-centered storytelling for the sake of helping others to know and love Jesus Christ through the mission of Concordia Seminary. These awards are a testament the opportunities we have to share our good news.”
The ACP is the nation’s oldest interdenominational religious press association. It presented its awards in May in Chicago, Ill.
ACP awards in the “Overall Excellence/Best in Class” contest
- The Seminary received an Honorable Mention in the “Seminary Publication or Journal” category for Concordia Seminary [3] magazine. Named in the award: Vicki Biggs, executive editor; Melanie Ave, managing editor; Beth Hasek, art director; and Courtney Koll, designer.
- The Seminary received an Award of Merit in the “Public Relations and Marketing Campaign” category for the 2024–25 Academic Year Theme: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” Named in the award: Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Melanie Ave, Sarah Maney and Christie Hampton, communications; and Beth Hasek, creative director.
ACP awards in the “Visual Communications” contest
- For “Website Redesign,” the Seminary received an Award of Excellence for the Concordia Theology [4] website. Named in the award: Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Melanie Ave and Kevin Golden, editors; Beth Hasek, creative director; and Chris Miller, web developer.
- For “Video – Editorial/PR/Marketing (less than 10 minutes),” the Seminary received an Award of Excellence for “Pedersen Field House 75th Anniversary [5].” Named in the award: Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Sarah Maney, communications; and Lifetime Media, video producer.
- For “Video Editorial/PR/Marketing (less than 10 minutes),” the Seminary received an Award of Merit for the 2024–25 Academic Year Theme: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus [6]. Named in the award: President Dr. Thomas J. Egger [7]; Melanie Ave and Christie Hampton, communications; and Lifetime Media, video producer.
Additional ACP awards
- In the “Marketing and Social Media” contest, the Seminary received an Award of Merit in the “Single Posting (social media)” category for the 2024–25 Academic Year Theme: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” Named in the award: President Dr. Thomas J. Egger [7]; Melanie Ave and Christie Hampton, communications; and Lifetime Media, video producer.
- In the “Reporting and Writing” contest, the Seminary received an award in the “Interview – Short Format (1,200 words or fewer),” category for “Bound by generosity: Reflections from Concordia Seminary’s gift officers [8].”
The EPA is a professional organization of Christian print and digital publications. It announced its awards in April in Lexington, Ky.
EPA “Awards of Excellence” contest
- The Seminary received an Award of Merit in the “Higher Ed (Digital)” category for Concordia Seminary [3] magazine. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, Melanie Ave, Chris Miller and Beth Hasek.
- The Seminary received an Award of Merit in the “Higher Ed (Print)” category for Concordia Seminary [3] magazine. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, Melanie Ave, Beth Hasek, Courtney Koll, Sarah Maney and Christie Hampton.
EPA awards in the “Higher Goals” contest
- For “Student Writer of the Year,” the Seminary received fifth place for “Sharing the joy of Jesus through podcasts [9]” by Lucas Moody, a second-year Master of Divinity student. The article appeared in the summer 2024 issue of Concordia Seminary [10] magazine.
- For “Blog: Single post,” the Seminary received third place for “Fly on the Wall: Without the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t even know what we were doing here” by Dr. Leopoldo A. Sánchez [11], professor of Systematic Theology. The Aug. 9, 2024, blog post appeared on concordiatheology.org [12].
- For “Blog: Website,” the Seminary received second place for concordiatheology.org [4]. Named in the award are Dr. Kevin Golden [13], Chris Miller, Beth Hasek, Melanie Ave and Vicki Biggs.
- For “Podcast,” the Seminary received fifth place for “Tangible: Resilient witness in dark times [14].” Named in the award are Jessica Bordeleau, Chad Lakies and President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer [15].
- For “Short-form Video,” the Seminary received third place for “Concordia Seminary 2024 Christmas greeting [16].” Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, Sarah Maney and Lifetime Media.
Read the full list of ACP awards [17] and the full list of EPA awards [18].
About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) [19]. To learn more, visit csl.edu [20].