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Ļć½¶Ö±²„shines at public relations Lantern Award ceremony

Ļć½¶Ö±²„shines at public relations Lantern Award ceremony

From left, Vanessa Beeson, Kelli Anthony, Sam Kealhofer, Sarah Nicholas, Karyn Brown and James Carskadon with awards at the 2024 Lantern Awards ceremony in Biloxi. (Photo submitted)
From left, Vanessa Beeson, Kelli Anthony, Sam Kealhofer, Sarah Nicholas, Karyn Brown and James Carskadon with awards at the 2024 Lantern Awards ceremony in Biloxi. (Photo submitted)

Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Ļć½¶Ö±²„ faculty, staff and students brought home top awards at the recent Southern Public Relations Federation Lantern Awards ceremony in Biloxi.

The Lantern Awards annually recognize outstanding public relations achievements across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle and are categorized into three ranksā€”Lantern Awards, Awards of Excellence and Certificates of Merit.

ā€œCongratulations to all the winners who exemplify the highest standards of excellence in our field,ā€ said SPRF President Kim Foster. ā€œThe work being done in the SPRF region is a testament to the power of effective communication and its ability to connect communities.ā€

Each entry was judged by industry expertsā€”to showcase creativity, innovation and the impactful communication strategies that drive successful public relations campaigns.

In the top category, the Lantern Awards, MSUā€™s College of Arts and Sciences won twice:

ā€”Eclipse Viewing Event, headed by CAS communication team Karyn Brown, assistant dean for communication and media; Kelli Anthony, graphics and web designer; Sam Kealhofer, coordinator for communication and research support; and Sarah Nicholas, communication specialist; with assistance from James Carskadon, marketing and communication manager with MSUā€™s High Performance Computing Collaboratory.

ā€”Vision Magazine, headed by CAS communication team members Anthony, Brown, Kealhofer and Nicholas.

Winners in the Awards of Excellence category include:

ā€”Ļć½¶Ö±²„CAS Vision Podcast, headed by Brown and Kealhofer.

ā€”Ļć½¶Ö±²„Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station for their website, headed by the MSUā€™s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Scott Willand, and Agriculture and Natural Resources marketing team staff members Karen Brasher, Meg Henderson and Chase Shaw.

Certificates of Merit were awarded to:

ā€”Ļć½¶Ö±²„CASā€™s Expertā€™s Listā€”headed by Brown and Kealhofer.

ā€”Ļć½¶Ö±²„College of Agriculture and Life Sciencesā€”Mississippi Youth Institute at MSUā€”headed by the CALS Deanā€™s Office staff members David Ammon, Vanessa Beeson, Dominique Belcher, Karen Brasher, Sarah Busby, Darrell Sparks and Tiffney Williams.

In the student category, the top Best of Show was awarded to Glo Cubes: A Bright Campaign, developed by the Ļć½¶Ö±²„Department of Communication PRISM class.

Lantern Awards were given to PRISM students, who have since graduated, for the following:

Special Eventsā€”Student Money Management Center: Ļć½¶Ö±²„graduates Emily Anthony, Maryanna Morris and Annalise Rome.

Digitalā€”Promoting Power of the Almond with Tasteful Tactics: Ļć½¶Ö±²„graduates Caroline Dewberry, Zoie Henson and Lucy Trew.

For more details about MSUā€™s College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of Communication, visit or .

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