Division of Agriculture staff score 12 awards in APW annual competition

First-place winners in the APW Communications Contest are eligible to advance to the National Federation of Press Women competition.

June 2, 2023

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

(751 words)

(Newsrooms: with art of winners)

BENTONVILLE, Ark.  — Seven University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture staffers shared a dozen awards in the 2023 Communications Contest held by Arkansas Press Women.

Mary Hightower, chief communications officer for the Division of Agriculture, was presented the APW’s highest honor, the Communicator of Achievement.

Hightower is now among 15 finalists for the National Federation of Press Women Communicator of Achievement. There have been four previous winners from Arkansas: Roberta Forster, 1960, honored for her coverage of the 1957 Little Rock desegregation crisis; Charlotte Schexnayder,1970, a state lawmaker and co-owner of the Dumas Clarion; Margaret Woolfolk, 1977, journalist, attorney and historian; and Eva Marie Pearson, 2002, formerly of the Pine Bluff Commercial.

The awards were presented May 20 at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. Work produced in a variety of communications fields during 2022 was eligible for the competition.

Several Division of Agriculture staffers came up winners at the 2023 APW Communications Contest.

First-place winners in the APW Communications Contest are eligible to advance to the National Federation of Press Women competition if they are members of NFPW. National winners are announced during the NFPW’s annual conference  June 22-24 in Cincinnati. 

Kristin Netterstrom Higgins, Public Policy Center program associate at the Division of Agriculture won:

• Third Place in Communications Programs and Campaigns > Public Service Program or Campaign for Who Are All These People On My Ballot? 
• Second Place in Communications Programs and Campaigns > Public Service Program or Campaign for 2022 Arkansas Ballot Issue Education Program, co-entrants: graphic designers Julie Thompson, Chris Meux, videographer Kerry Rodtnick, and Stacey McCullough, head of Community, Professional and Economic Development for the Cooperative Extension Service
• Second Place in Web and Social Media > Blog > Nonprofit, government or educational for What Are These Voluntary Property Taxes On My Bill? 
• First Place in Web and Social Media > Electronic Newsletter > Nonprofit, government, or educational for Board Rejects Marijuana, Casino Ballot Titles
• First Place in Web and Social Media > Blog > Nonprofit, government or educational for Thousands of Arkansas Voters Skipped Ballot Issues. 

Mary Hightower, chief communications officer for the Division of Agriculture won:

• Third Place in Specialty Articles > Agriculture for Backyard vineyard a lifeline for Southern Sensation grape 
• First Place in Feature Story > Online publication for Giant dust devil turns Tuesday into ‘Windsday’ at rice research center 

Fred Miller, science editor of the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, won:

• Honorable Mention in Photography > Single Photograph > News or feature photo for Insect Toxicology Lab-Bees 
• Third Place in Specialty Articles > Science or technology for Researcher employs microorganisms to counter major disease affecting beef industry 
• Second Place in Specialty Articles > Green/environmental for Researchers investigate health impacts of residual pesticides on wild bees 
• First Place in Specialty Articles > Green/environmental for Experiment station researcher in search of a more water-efficient chicken 
• First Place in Specialty Articles > Science or technology for Entomologist wants to know if invasive mosquitoes, native biting midges make good neighbors 

For a complete list of the award recipients throughout the state please visit https://arkansaspresswomen.org/apw-celebrates-2023-award-winners/.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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