​​Stellenbosch University (SU) won the most awards at the annual Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Congress Awards Ceremony held at the Johannesburg Country Club on 30 November.

The MACE Excellence Awards recognises and celebrates excellence and the achievements of specialists and practitioners in the higher education sector. The prestigious awards event formed part of the annual MACE congress hosted by the MACE Board and Wits University from 29 November to 1 December.

Out of SU's 30 entries, the university received 11 merit awards, 5 excellence awards, 6 gold awards and 3 special awards. According to Dr Phumzile Mmope, Senior Director: Corporate Communication, this is evidence that the university's Integrated Communication Strategy and encouraged collaborations with faculties and other key divisions, is starting to bear fruit for the Corporate Communication Division.

“This year we entered the awards together with colleagues from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), Research Development as well as Development and Alumni Relations Divisions (DAR). The entries from FMHS, Research Development and DAR contributed to the final amount of awards won. It is an honour for Stellenbosch University to be recognised for its excellent contribution to the marketing, advancement and communication practice.

“I am humbled and motivated by this token of recognition of our collective talents and expertise. The merit, excellence, gold and special awards are not only a great prestige and a mark of excellence, but also a tremendous boost for us to continue to make a meaningful contribution, to excel and aim for even bigger accomplishments at Stellenbosch University and in the sector," Dr Mmope added.

Ronel Bester, Strategic Relations Manager at the FMHS, says the congress offers the ideal opportunity to attend lectures and workshops on the latest trends in the industry as well as to get practical advice from experts in the field of marketing, advancement and communication. “It also creates a very productive opportunities to network with colleagues from other institutions, to get advice and share best practice.

“For our team it is very satisfying to enter because it reminds us of why and how we developed communication products and how it ties in with our faculties' strategy. It also gives us the opportunity to rethink our strategy, come up with new initiatives and to continuously improve our work. It is a privilege to win awards and get recognition for our hard work, especially because it shows that our work compares well with the best local and international standards."

MACE is a membership-based organisation and fulfils a leadership role in the higher education, TVET, and private education sectors within Southern Africa. It aims to add value to practitioners in marketing, advancement and communication through high-quality development programmes, facilitating networking partnerships and transformation, as well as promoting best practice among these professions at its member institutions.

SU's awards are:

11 Merit Awards

• Digital internal newsletter News/Nuus@StellenboschUni
• Digital external newsletter Vivus (from Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences - FMHS)
• General campaign @StellenboschUni
• General campaign #NolimitSU Campaign
• General campaign #WomenofSU Campaign
• General campaign for communicating science to the public
• Skills in News Media Writing for 'PhD just about biltong for Maxine'
• Skills in Videography for the Short Feature 'Rubix Cluster Mannequin Challenge'
• FMHS Annual Publication 2016
• Digital Alumni newsletter: e-Matieland
• Homecoming / Tuiskoms: Alumni event at Woordfees

6 Excellence Awards

• Stellenbosch University Integrated Annual Report 2016
• Research at Stellenbosch University 2016 (Research Development)
• Matieland 2016
• Digital internal newsletter Info@StellenboschUni
• Digital internal magazine Life/Leef@StellenboschUni
• Skills in Writing for the FMHS Annual Publication 2016

5 Gold Awards

• Digital internal newsletter Impromptu (FMHS)
• Skills in News Media Writing: The Smart water meter - every drop counts
• Skills in Photography for Matieland Photos
• Skills in Long Feature Videography: New image recognition software for white sharks
• General campaign: Are South Africa's great white sharks heading for extinction?

And also the following special awards:

• Severus Cerff Award (recognition for outstanding performance among practitioners in Higher, Technical and Vocational Education and Training) for consistently delivering high quality entries - 11 Merit Awards, 6 Excellence Awards, 5 Gold Awards
• Carl and Emily Fuchs Business Issue Award - for showcasing how marketing, advancement & communication professionals play a vital role in adding to the dialogue on key issues affecting society
• Outstanding Research Award for Matieland 2016