Concordia Seminary, St. Louis recently received a total of 10 awards from the Associated Church Press (ACP) and the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) during the organizations’ recent conventions and award ceremonies.

The ACP, the nation’s oldest interdenominational religious press association, presented its awards at the organization’s annual banquet April 12 in Chicago. The awards were given in recognition of exceptional content produced by the Seminary in 2018.

“We are humbled and grateful for this recognition of our work,” said Vicki Biggs, senior vice president, Seminary Advancement and chief communications officer. “God gifts His people with the skills they need for the vocations to which they are called. These awards reflect the awesome skill of our communications, creative services and theological publications team members, who serve to share the stories of the Seminary for the sake of the mission of Christ.”

In the ACP’s “Best in Class” category the Seminary received:

• A first-place Award of Excellence in the category “Seminary Publication” for Concordia Seminary magazine. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, executive editor; Melanie Ave, managing editor; Jayna Rollings, art director; Courtney Koll, graphic designer; and Michelle Poneleit, graphic designer.
• A first-place Award of Excellence in the category “Public Relations or Marketing Campaign” for the Library Grand Opening 2018. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, senior vice president; Melanie Ave, communications manager; Jayna Rollings, creative services manager; Courtney Koll, graphic designer and photographer; Michelle Poneleit, graphic designer; and Lewis Mendez, web developer.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Independent Website” for the Seminary website www.csl.edu. Named in the award are Jayna Rollings, creative director; Vicki Biggs, editor; Melanie Ave, editor; Lewis Mendez, web developer; and Chris Miller, web developer.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Journal” for Concordia Journal. Named in the award are Dr. Dale Meyer, publisher; Dr. Charles Arand, executive editor; Dr. Travis Scholl, editor; Melanie Appelbaum, assistant editor; Jayna Rollings and XiaoPei Chen, graphic designers.

In the ACP’s awards contest for specific categories the Seminary received:

• A first-place Award of Excellence in the category “Social Media,” event promotion, marketing campaign or brand awareness, for the Library Grand Opening 2018. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, senior vice president; Melanie Ave, communications manager; Jayna Rollings, creative services manager; Michelle Poneleit, graphic designer; Courtney Koll, graphic designer and photographer; and Lewis Mendez, web developer.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Online Media,” for the publication website for Concordia Journal. Named in the award are Dr. Charles Arand, executive editor; Dr. Travis Scholl and Dr. Erik Herrmann, editors; Melanie Appelbaum, assistant editor; Jayna Rollings, creative director; Lewis Mendez, web developer; and Dale Ward, video production.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Social Media,” event promotion, marketing campaign or brand awareness, for the Theological Symposium 2018. Named in the award are Melanie Ave, communications manager; Jayna Rollings, creative services manager; Courtney Koll, graphic designer; John Clifton, video producer; and Lewis Mendez, web developer.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Video” for Word & Work: An Intersection podcast. Named in the award are Dr. Dale Meyer, director/president; Vicki Biggs, senior vice president; Melanie Ave, communications manager; Dale Ward, senior media producer; Jayna Rollings, art director; John Clifton, motion designer; and Lewis Mendez, web developer.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Integrated Communications” for Here am I! Send me, the 2018-19 academic year theme. Named in the award are Jayna Rollings, creative manager; Melanie Ave, communications manager; Michelle Poneleit, graphic designer; John Clifton, motion designer; Courtney Koll, photographer; and Lewis Mendez, web developer.

In addition to the ACP awards, the Seminary also was recognized by the EPA, a professional organization of Christian publications including magazines, newspapers, newsletters and content-rich websites. Its awards, which were given in recognition of exceptional content produced in 2018, were announced at the EPA’s annual banquet April 7-9 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Seminary received the following award in the EPA’s Higher Goals contest for two-page spread design:

• A fourth-place award for Concordia Seminary Magazine, The Journey to Seminary life. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, senior vice president; Melanie Ave, communications manager; Jayna Rollings, creative services manager; Michelle Poneleit, graphic designer; and Courtney Koll, graphic designer.

“Creating multimedia resources for lifelong learning, for both church workers and lay people, is about both content and form, engaging not only the mind but the eye and the ear too,” said Scholl, managing editor, Seminary Publications.

To read the full list of ACP awards, click here. To read the full list of EPA awards, click here.

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). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu.