Communication Awards

The following work submitted by ZTA stood out amongst the more than 700 award submissions from fraternity and sorority headquarters around the country.

First place, Event Branding

Convention 2024

This award honors the outstanding execution of seamless branding across all touchpoints related to the attendee experience. Entries were judged on creative use of design and theme, alignment to the organization's primary brand, and objectives and outcomes.

Judges said, "A very well-branded event—and every opportunity to Zetafy the space was seized!" and, "The details! One knew where they were immediately. I am sure the attendees felt pride everywhere they turned. And SO many great photo ops were available."

First Place, Video Presentation - Short (Staff Produced)

Know the Strength, Amount and Time

This award honors outstanding efforts in video production up to three minutes on a topic relevant to the intended audience.

A judge said, "This was such an engaging, lighthearted way to talk about something that could be so dark or heavy. Well done."

Second Place, Excellence in Digital Integrated Marketing

ZTA Foundation Day of Giving

This category honors excellence in cohesively integrated marketing across multiple channels to deliver an impactful message or compelling call to action. Entries were judged on supporting data/analytics, organization of the campaign, and relevance to the intended audience.

Organizations can only win first place in this award category once every three years.

A judge said, "Smart and strategic from start to finish—even down to the organized, targeted email segmentation used to effectively track outcomes." Another commented, "A truly compelling concept—shining a spotlight on the historic founders in a way that feels fresh and relevant today."

Second Place, Merchandise Promotion

Our Shared Purpose

New in 2025, this award honors the outstanding promotion of licensed merchandise or opportunity.

You can purchase Our Shared Purpose from Crown & Co.

A judge said, "The balanced multichannel marketing approach effectively reached diverse audience segments, while the persona-tailored messaging shows advanced understanding of segment-specific motivations and interests."

Third Place, William C. Levere Award for Total Communications

Convention 2024

This award is one of the top honors given by FCA. It is given to the top comprehensive communications plan and execution intended for a single purpose. Judging is based on consistent and compelling messaging and design, relevance and engagement with the target audience, objectives and outcomes with supporting data/analytics, and use of resources.

Organizations can only win first place in this award category once every three years.

A judge said, "Really nice multi-faceted strategies and tactics, clearly communicated and all well designed."

Third Place, Publication Improvement (Non-Magazine)

Our Shared Purpose

This award honors outstanding efforts to improve an existing printed multipage document. The piece must have undergone significant change during 2024. Entries are judged on improved copy, content, design and presentation; overall attractiveness; relevance to the intended audience; and use of resources.

A judge said, "The book maintains a clean layout. The content is purposeful and follows a good flow with photo curation that keeps the reader turning the page."

Third Place, Magazine Feature Layout

125th Celebration Recap

This award honors outstanding layout design of a magazine article no fewer than three pages. Entires are judged on creative use of visual elements, overall attractiveness of design, and relevance to intended audience.

Read the 125th Celebration Recap in the spring 2024 issue of Themis magazine.

A judge said, "I love the photo variety and placement in this layout. The colors and fonts enhance the overall message."

Third Place, Educational Resources

Officer Leadership Academy Workbook

This award honors outstanding educational materials. Entries are judged on organization and relevance of content, attractiveness and effectiveness of design, and quality and consistency of writing.

Judges said, "This is an excellent one-stop shop for content related to the event and ongoing officer development. It was very engaging and clearly developed to appeal to the target audience."

ZTA Alumnae Receive Recognition

During the awards ceremony, two ZTA alumnae were recognized for their dedication to FCA, an entirely volunteer-run organization.

Andrea Smithson Benek (Beta Theta, Franklin College), who is the Chief of Staff for Zeta Beta Tau, received the Marilyn Simpson Ford Distinguished Service Award. The award formally recognizes the commitment of an individual to the association. Andrea has been involved with FCA since 2013, and is a former association president.

Heather Matthews (Delta Kappa, LSU), who is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Kappa Delta, received the Outstanding Committee Member award, recognizing her hard work on FCA's Programming Committee during the past year. During the association’s business meeting, she was also elected to FCA’s Board of Directors as the new Director of Education.