University projects in the running for nine awards at Heist 2016

Posted 18 May 2016

Staff at Harper Adams University today have nine reasons to celebrate after the shortlists for the 26th annual Heist Awards for education marketing and communications were announced. 

A series of projects and campaigns run by Harper Adams University ahead of current academic year have been selected as finalists for Heist Awards. In addition the University is on the shortlist for both Marketing and Communications Team of the Year and for the Student Voice Award, run in association with The Student Room, which is voted for by students, and rates universities and colleges based on how well the real university experience lives up to what applicants have been shown and told ahead of arrival. 

Harper Adams won the inaugural Student Voice Award in 2015. This year the team has been recognised as a contender for the following awards, which will be presented to the winners on July 7 in Manchester. 

1. The Student Voice Award

2. Marketing Team of the Year

3. Best Low Budget Initiative: The Edible Bug Challenge

4. Best Community/Business Engagement Campaign – Edible Bug Challenge

5. Best Use of Innovation in Education Marketing – Edible Bug Challenge

6. Best Postgraduate Prospectus (printed)

7. Best Prospectus from a Specialist Institution (printed)

8. Most Effective Use of Social Media - #Harperbound 2015

9. Best Postgraduate Student Recruitment Initiative – Should I do a Masters?

Commenting on the news of the shortlist, Vice-Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn said: “Our staff and students work hard to provide an outstanding academic and social environment at Harper Adams University, and I am delighted that their efforts have been recognised by nominations this year across so many Heist award categories.  We look forward to hearing the outcome at the awards event in July.”

The Edible Bug Challenge has been a huge success for the university, increasing engagement at some shows by 500 per cent, inspiring many conversations about food security and sparking interest in courses including entomology and food sciences. 

The #Harperbound social media project succeeded in bringing together more than 90 per cent of the 2015 intake into a single online community, and far exceeded targets set at the outset. 

Prospectuses remain key to student recruitment and the shortlisted postgraduate prospectus was able to sum up the university’s ethos of applied learning and research with a single image connecting field to laboratory. 

The ‘Should I do a Masters?’ campaign provided excellent value for money – doubling the target increase in PG admissions for a small spend. 

While spearheaded by a dedicated marketing team, these initiatives are all delivered with the contributions of staff across the university.