UNC Asheville’s Communication and Marketing Team Wins National Awards for Storytelling and Crisis Communication

By UNC Asheville

July 11^th, 2025

The University of North Carolina Asheville’s Communication and Marketing team has earned national and global recognition for their creative storytelling and strategic outreach efforts, receiving four prestigious awards this year for their work highlighting the university’s commitment to hands-on learning, community engagement, and resilience.

UNC Asheville was named a 2025 featured finalist in the inaugural Storyteller Awards from PhotoShelter, which celebrates outstanding visual storytelling.

The team’s winning submission in the Community Engagement category spotlighted an experiential ecology class taught by faculty member Ashley Case. After Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Western North Carolina, students in the class helped repair the Swannanoa River’s eroded banks behind an alumnus’s home. The resulting photo essay, story and video, titled “Community Takes Root,” showcases how UNC Asheville students apply ecological knowledge in real-world, community-connected projects.

“We knew right away this was a story worth telling,” said Becca Andrews, writer and member of the award-winning team. “It exemplifies everything UNC Asheville offers — hands-on education, close faculty mentorship, and meaningful community impact.”

UNC Asheville’s Communication and Marketing Team Wins National Awards for Storytelling and Crisis Communication

The University’s Communication and Marketing team also earned three Bronze Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the global benchmark in educational advancement.

“Drinking Water Returns to UNC Asheville Post-Hurricane Helene,” a comprehensive, multi-platform campaign to announce the safe return of drinking water post-Helene and inspire students to come back to campus, won in the Communications Initiatives category. The campaign included video tours, facility diagrams, Chancellor updates, social media content, and a feature story that blended transparency with warmth and encouragement. As a result, more than 800 of 1,300 residential students returned, and UNC Asheville achieved its highest spring retention rate since 2015 — 92.8 percent.

Another campaign following the hurricane, “Helene Heroes: A Digital Marketing Campaign After a Crisis,” won in the Digital Campaigns category. Stories of students, faculty, and staff volunteering across Western North Carolina showed how adversity forged deeper bonds between the University and the region it serves.

CASE judges praised the Helene Heroes campaign as “a moving and smart way to recognize the campus and local community,” calling it a “graceful and generous transition out of crisis communications.”

And finally, UNC Asheville’s new first-touch admissions publication, “Where It All Starts: UNC Asheville Admissions Road Piece,” won in the Publications – Student Recruitment category for its “simple, yet impactful” design and stunning photography. Developed in-house with a refreshed brand style, the compact, engaging piece introduces prospective students to the University and Asheville. After publication of the piece, undergraduate applications saw a 24 percent increase over the prior year.

CASE received more than 4,400 entries from institutions in 33 countries. Winners were selected by expert peer judges for their originality, effectiveness, and impact.

“Winning four such prestigious awards is a testament to the creativity, collaboration, and heart of our highly talented team,” said Eden Bloss, chief communication and marketing officer at UNC Asheville. “This work shines a light on the resilience of our community and the strengths of our team in telling their stories. It’s a collective commitment to excellence they bring to every project, and a throughline at the University."