2025 OCPRA Awards Competition Categories

INNOVATION

Campus Experience and Student Engagement: Unique student-focused experiences and engagement initiatives.

Innovative Signage and Environmental Design: Campus branding through signs, murals, wraps and physical/digital spaces.

DIY or Remixed Materials: Creative projects using repurposed or handmade materials.

WTF (Wild, Tactical, Fearless) Idea: Most unconventional, surprising or risk-taking initiative.

Shoe String: Impactful project executed on a minimal budget.

BROCHURE & DIRECT MAIL

Recruitment Brochure: Print materials promoting enrollment or student recruitment that are not viewbooks.

Informational or Event Brochure: Program or department brochures, informational booklets or event materials.

Postcard or Invitation: Traditional direct mail pieces such as postcards and event invites.

Event Program or Specialty Print: Event-driven print materials like programs, rack cards and exhibition guides.

DESIGN

Most Improved Design: Best before-and-after redesign of an existing piece.

Original Illustration: Hand-drawn or digitally illustrated artwork created without AI.

Wearable or Promotional Item Design: Design for apparel, stickers or branded swag.

Infographic or Data Visualization: Graphics conveying complex data clearly and visually.

Seasonal or Celebration Design: Holiday cards, themed designs, or seasonal promotions.

Event or Performance Poster: Posters promoting concerts, lectures or campus events.

Recruitment, Awareness or Informational Poster: Academic, recruitment, or awareness-focused posters.

Sports or Spirit Poster: Sports schedules, team hype or school spirit posters.

Full Website: Large-scale website creation or redesign.

Landing Page or Microsite: Focused campaign or initiative-based web pages.

BRANDING

Event or Commemorative Logo: Logos for one-time events or milestones.

Program, Initiative or Campaign Logo: Logos for ongoing programs or marketing campaigns.

Athletics, Student Life or Mascot Logo: Branding for sports teams, student orgs or mascots.

Best Rebrand: Logos for colleges, schools or administrative units.

EVENTS & PROMOTION

Single Event Marketing or Promotion: Marketing for an individual event (not fundraising or alumni).

Fundraising or Alumni Engagement Campaign: Campaigns supporting giving, fundraising or alumni engagement.

Recruitment or Enrollment Marketing Campaign: Multi-touch campaigns targeting prospective students.

Institutional or Awareness Campaign: Advocacy, university reputation or awareness-building campaigns.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Campus Life or Human Interest Photo: Capturing daily campus life or student/faculty stories.

Sports or Action Photo: Athletics or other high-energy action shots.

Portrait or Personality Photo: Individual-focused professional or candid portraits.

Storytelling or Documentary Photo: Images that tell a compelling narrative.

Photo Series or Thematic Collection: A group of related photos with a consistent theme.

Campus, Architecture or Landscape Photo: Campus beauty shots and building photography.

Promotional or Feature Photo (Small Team): High-impact image from a team of five or fewer members without a dedicated photographer and not taken by external photographer.

PUBLICATIONS

Magazine (Print or Digital): Periodicals for alumni, students or campus news.

Annual Report or Impact Publication: High-level institutional or donor reports.

Special or One-Time Publication: Unique booklets, historical retrospectives, or commemoratives.

Viewbook or Admissions Publication: Student recruitment and admissions-focused materials.

Publication (Small Team): Magazine, report, viewbook or other publication produced completely internally by a team of five or fewer without a dedicated graphic designer.

VIDEO

Short-Form Video (:30 to 2 minutes): High-impact, short storytelling videos.

Long-Form Feature (2+ minutes): Documentary-style or in-depth storytelling videos.

Sports or Hype Video: Athletics or team-driven promotional videos.

Small-Budget Video (<$500): High-quality videos of any length made internally on a low budget.

Podcast, Interview or Conversational Video: Long-form discussions, interviews and podcasts.

Commercial, Promotional or High-Production Video: High-end, professionally produced videos, including those created by external production companies.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media Campaign (Recruitment, Awareness or Student Life): Split by purpose.

Short-Form Social Video (<30 sec.): TikToks, Reels and YouTube Shorts.

Viral or High-Engagement Social Media Post: Single post that gained major traction.

Social Media Event Coverage or Takeover: Live or event-based social engagement.

Best Social Media Presence (Small Team): Recognizing outstanding work by small teams without a dedicated social media-only position.

WRITING

Hard News Writing: Institutional announcements or breaking news.

General News Writing: Campus features and updates.

News Writing (Small Team): News writing by a small team without a dedicated writing/media-only position.

Feature - Research and Institutional Impact: Research-heavy long-form storytelling.

Feature - Human Interest and Student Life: Student or faculty-driven personal stories.

Short-Form Writing (Headlines, Captions, Microcontent): Concise, impactful messaging.