The Peninsula College Marketing and Communications Department was recognized recently for excellence in Photography and Illustration, receiving a gold Paragon Award at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) National Conference’s online celebration, held March 31.

NCMPR’s Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges. It’s the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges.

The computer-generated illustration was created for a long-standing Peninsula College celebrated writers series, the “Foothills Writers Series.” The new illustration honors the original signature illustration, drawn by local poet Charlotte Gould Warren that was used for more than 45 years. Along with the updated illustration, a typographic element was added to be used in conjunction with the illustration.

Readings in this series provide the opportunity for students in a literature course and the general public to hear poet and fiction writers.

“The updating of the Foothills Writers Series signature illustration, along with creating an overall new look and feel for all of the series’ promotional materials, was to enable a clear transition to the shift from a cultural event to a college course,” Peninsula College Director of Marketing Grace Kendall said.

“We are honored to be recognized for demonstrating creativity and originality that set us apart from large and small colleges across the country and Canada.”

Winners were announced online during a live Facebook watch party, in lieu of the 2020 national conference that was to be held in Orlando earlier this month.

This year’s competition drew 1,963 entries from 261 colleges across North America. Nearly 90 marketing and public relations professionals around the country served as judges. A link to the “Winners’ Gallery” is online at www.ncmpr.org/paragon-awards.