Dozens of communication, marketing and development projects from various UC Davis offices have earned recognition from two organizations.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE, recently named 27 UC Davis projects to its “Best of District VII Awards,” covering universities in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Those projects included the creation of a Discord channel for newly admitted students, an article about prosthetics research, a Spanish-language television ad, thank-you videos to donors, a holiday video and more.

“It’s wonderful to see UC Davis’ creative work recognized by our peers in the region and across the country,” said Dana Topousis, chief marketing and communications officer. “These projects reflect how dedicated our teams are in telling the best stories about our students, faculty and staff.”

Shaun B. Keister, vice chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations, said the awards highlight the efforts of people across campus.

“At UC Davis, strategic outreach and engagement helps us communicate the impact of all the university does to benefit the world,” he said. “Recognition from CASE is a true honor, underscoring that our excellent teams are advancing our mission with best-in-class products and programs.”

Separately, 16 projects earned Education Digital Marketing Awards, including three golds: the university’s 2022 annual report, a guide to creating accessible social media posts and the Dateline UC Davis newsletter.

“Colleges, universities, and secondary schools from across the country submitted entries, and a panel of judges, consisting of education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals, evaluated the submissions,” the Georgia-based award administrators of the awards said in a news release. “Education marketing professionals faced significant challenges in conveying valuable and relevant information through various digital channels, including websites, digital content, electronic communications, mobile media and social media.”

Universities submitted more than 1,000 entries for the competition, the news release said.

The full list of winners:

CASE Best of District VII Awards

• Making Sense of Events: Measuring Event ROI at UC Davis, in the category advancement services (advancement services initiatives, more than 25 staff)
• Streamlining Grateful Patient Prospect Data at UCD, in the category advancement services (data and analytics)
• The Majors Blog, in the category communications (digital campaigns, student-oriented)
• Struggle, Progress and Paint: The Unfinished Dream Mural, in the category communications (storytelling)
• “Making Prosthetics More Lifelike,” in the category communications (storytelling)
• Discord, A Digital Home for Newly Admitted Students, in the category engagement (student engagement)
• Aggie Reactions: Personalized Admissions Acceptance Video Responses in the category engagement (student engagement)
• Using Inclusive Language: A Brief Guide, in the category leadership (diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives)
• Horse Report, in the category magazines (alumni/general interest: any institution type, targeted audience)
• Telemundo Student Recruitment Ad, in the category marketing (marketing: advertising, broadcast)
• In Greater Focus: The Magazine of the Expect Greater Campaign, in the category publications (fundraising: case statements / general cultivation publications)
• Movie Premiere at Museum of Science and Curiosity, or MOSAC, in the category special events (in-person, single-day)
• 7th Annual Gratitude Gala: Dinin’ at the Drive-In, in the category special events (in-person, single-day)
• Cultivating Growth: 22nd Annual Shields Society Luncheon, in the category special events (in-person, single-day)
• Romanticizing UC Davis, in the category video (student audience, short)
• Aggies at the Drive-In: Donor Stewardship Video, in the category video (fundraising and stewardship, long)
• The California Studio: Donor Thank-you Message, in the category video (fundraising and stewardship, long)
• From Our UC Davis Table to Yours, Happy Holidays, in the category video (holiday/year-end)
• Confronting Climate Anxiety, in the category video (news and research)
• Tour Our Vertical Farm: "Excellence In Research" quick-hit video, in the category video (news and research)
• UC Davis Fetal Surgery Patient and Family Testimonials, in the category video (promotional, long)
• Chancellor Gary S. May Celebrates Five Years Leading UC Davis, in the category video (promotional, long)
• The California Studio - Promotional, in the category video (promotional, long)
• Fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele (Spina Bifida), in the category video (promotional, short)
• Engineering and the Diversity Imperative: The 15th Grand Challenge, in the category writing (column or opinion piece)
• Confronting Climate Anxiety, in the category writing (news/feature, series or collection)
• California Families Project: Resilience and Community, in the category writing (research, medicine and science news

Education Digital Marketing Awards

Gold

• 2022 Annual Report, in the category annual or community report
• Social Media Accessibility Guide - Making Content Accessible For All, in the category DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion
• Dateline UC Davis, in the category digital publication-campaign

Silver

• Admissions Univision Video, in the category diversity, equity and inclusion
• Chancellor May’s Compliment Corner, in the category digital special video (over 2 minutes)
• Climate Microsite, in the category microsite
• 5 Ceremonies and 7,000 Hands Shook: Chancellor May’s Commencement Recap, in the category social media content (single)
• #UCDavisThings for Students by Students, in the category TikTok

Bronze

• Spring Commencement 2023, in the category digital publication (campaign)
• Aggie Tip Sheet, in the category digital publication (single)
• Chancellor May’s 10K Followers Milestone, in the category Instagram

Merit

• Mental Health Awareness, in the category digital special video (over 2 minutes)
• Chancellor May’s Comment Vent, in the category digital special video (over 2 minutes)
• Food Microsite, in the category microsite
• Uniquely UCD - Highlighting unique classes, in the category social media content (campaign)
• Breaking Down Sustainable Boba Breakthrough, in the category social media content (single)