Leona Long wins national award

Leona Long, former public information officer with the College of Rural and Community Development, recently won a national 2019 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for her campaign “Indigenous and Visible.” The Silver Anvil Awards recognize strategic public relations campaigns that meet the highest standards of performance in the profession.

Her entry placed in the government section of the “Most Effective Campaign on a Budget $5,000 or Less” category. The award was presented by the Public Relations Society of America in New York City in June.

Long won the award for work she undertook while at CRCD; she is now the manager of news and content for the University of Alaska.

Long’s public relations campaign promoted UAF’s rural campuses and Alaska Native programs by sharing positive stories about Alaska’s Indigenous peoples. Her strategy rested on the idea that a public relations campaign sharing the success and accomplishments of CRCD’s programs and rural community campuses should be culturally relevant and should clearly articulate the social return on investment. The campaign included public relations efforts from June 2017-February 2019.

To read more about the case study, results and judges’ comments, visit Leona Long’s website.