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East Tennessee State University earned the top honor from the Tennessee College Public Relations Association (TCPRA), winning Best in Show for its crisis communications during Hurricane Helene.

Judges selected ETSU’s crisis communications campaign as the top entry among 422 submissions across 37 categories from 19 institutions statewide.

In addition to the top award, ETSU accolades included four gold, three silver and four bronze awards. Its Student Spotlight series of print newspaper ads also earned a nomination for Best in Show.

“The Best in Show recognition for our Hurricane Helene crisis communication highlights not just the work of our marketing and communications team, but the heart of ETSU,” said Jess Vodden, vice president of marketing and communications. “In the face of disaster, ETSU stood as a pillar of support for our region. I’m deeply grateful for the leadership, compassion and commitment of so many individuals — including our students — who helped us navigate this crisis.”

After Hurricane Helene unleashed profound devastation on the Appalachian Mountains in September 2024, ETSU’s Office of University Marketing and Communications (UMC) worked with partners across campus to produce both an internal and external communications campaign to inform the campus and community on the latest news, where they could get help and how they could help others affected by the disaster.

To anchor the campaign, UMC web staff built a landing page titled “Bucs Rebuild Together” to serve as a key source of communication. The campaign included communication from university leadership, special editions of ETSU’s e-newsletters, social media, informative videos, and regular articles and blogs to keep the community informed.

“Throughout this crisis, our priority was to be a source of truth, offering timely and important information for the university, the region and beyond,” Vodden said. “We also worked to connect people with meaningful opportunities to contribute. The deep-rooted culture of care and compassion that defines our communities was powerfully evident in the days and weeks that followed this disaster. Much of our work centered on elevating the incredible efforts unfolding across campus and throughout the region, and ensuring people knew how they could be part of the response.”

Staff also worked regularly with regional, state and national media to offer ETSU experts who could speak to pressing issues during the aftermath of the storm. A video series, titled “Rising with Hope” and featuring ETSU’s Dr. Andrew Joyner, Tennessee’s official climatologist, amassed thousands of views on YouTube and was also selected for a gold TCPRA award in the “News/Feature Video” category.

ETSU’s 2025 TCPRA awards include:

Best in Show:

• Hurricane Helene Response (Crisis Communication Campaign)

Gold:

• Hurricane Helene Response (Crisis Communication Campaign)

• 2025 Student Spotlight Newspaper Ads (Print Advertisement Series) – nominated for Best in Show

• ETSU “Vibes” Video (Video Advertisement/PSA)

• Hurricane Helene: “Rising with Hope” Series Trailer Video (News/Feature Video)

Silver:

• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Public Relations Campaign (Special Event, More than 7 Days)

• E-News (Newsletter, Electronic)

• “Politically Speaking” (Podcast)

Bronze:

• “ETSU Fossil Site Reveals Giant Flying Squirrel” (News Writing)

• ETSU Today, Winter 2025 (College/Alumni Magazine, Printed)

• Bucky Crowd Surfing Photo (Feature Photography)

• Alternative Breaks: An Immersive Learning Experience (News/Feature Video)

See the complete list of 2025 TCPRA winners.