The Hesston College Marketing and Communications teams efforts over the past year were awarded with two national awards from the Awards for Publication Excellence. The awards are sponsored by Communications Concepts, Inc., and the editors of “Writer’s Web Watch” and “Writing That Works Archives.”

The team was one of two Grand Award winners, the highest award possible, for the Hesston College website, www.hesston.edu, in the Nonprofit/Small Office Websites category. The website content and layout was created in-house by the Marketing and Communications staff and was designed by Flint Hills Design in North Newton, Kan.

Reviews from judges praised the aesthetically pleasing design, ease of navigation and concise and informative text.

The team also won an Award of Excellence in the Marketing and Public Relations Brochures, Manuals and Reports category for a series of material produced for the Admissions Department. Staff members produced all of the pieces, including writing, photography, design and layout in-house. Other winners in the category included the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas) and the U.S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

“These awards speak to the good work the Marketing and Communications team does to successfully tell the Hesston College story through a variety of avenues,” said Yvonne Sieber, vice president of Advancement. “Each person’s gifts and talents make them a vital member of the team and valuable to Hesston College.”

The APEX awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the success in achieving overall communications effectiveness. For the 2012 awards, 3,382 entries were evaluated. A total of 100 Grand Awards were presented in 11 major categories, and 1,027 Awards of Excellence were presented in 130 categories.

The Hesston College Marketing and Communications team is made up of Marathana Prothro, director; Larry Bartel, web content manager and photographer; Julie Miller, graphic designer; Rachel Schlegel, public information officer; and Andrew Sharp, sports information director. Former graphic designer, Nancy Miller, was also involved in some of the work.