Concordia Seminary, St. Louis recently received a total of 15 awards from the Associated Church Press (ACP) and the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) during the organizations’ recent award ceremonies.

“We are humbled by this bounty of awards,” said Vicki Biggs, senior vice president of Seminary Advancement and chief communications officer. “It is indeed gratifying to receive this recognition of our work by our peers, but all glory belongs to God, who graces our team with the skills and abilities to do this work. It is an honor and privilege to present the Seminary and its many fascinating figures to the church through these media and to be able to proclaim all for the sake of the Gospel.”

The ACP, the nation’s oldest interdenominational religious press association, presented its awards March 19 during an online broadcast in place of its annual banquet. The awards were given in recognition of exceptional content produced in 2019.
In the ACP’s “Best in Class” category,  the Seminary received the following:

• A first-place Award of Excellence in the category “Seminary Publication” for Concordia Seminary magazine. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, executive editor; Melanie Ave and Mia Mauss, managing editors; Jayna Rollings, art director; and Michelle  Poneleit  and Courtney Koll, designers.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Journal” for Concordia Journal. Named in the award are Dr. Dale A. Meyer,  publisher; Dr.  Charles Arand, executive editor;  Dr.  Travis Scholl, editor; Melanie Appelbaum, assistant editor; Jayna Rollings, creative director; and  XiaoPei  Chen and Michelle  Poneleit, graphic designers.
• An Honorable Mention in the category “Video Production” for an overview of Concordia Seminary. Named in the award are  Dale Ward, senior media producer; John Clifton and Gabe Doiron, video producers; Vicki Biggs, Melanie Ave, Sarah Maney and Erica Tape, writers/editors; and Courtney Koll and Jayna Rollings, designers.
• An Honorable Mention in the category “Independent Website” for Concordia Seminary’s website, csl.edu. Named in the award are  Jayna Rollings, creative director; Vicki Biggs and Melanie Ave, editors; and Chris Miller, web developer.

In the ACP’s “Integrated Communications” category, the Seminary received the following:

• A first-place Award of Excellence for the 2019 Theological Symposium event. Named in the award are  Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Jayna Rollings and Courtney Koll, creative; Melanie Ave, Sarah Maney and Erica Tape, communications; Chris Miller, web; Ryan Arnold, live stream; and Jill Gray, Harold Rau and Bridgette Sharp, photographers.
• A second-place Award of Merit for the 2019–20 academic year theme “Grace. Mercy. Peace. Lives of Significance.” Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Jayna Rollings and Courtney Koll, creative; Melanie Ave, Sarah Maney and Erica Tape, communications; John Clifton, Dale Ward and Ryan Arnold, video; Chris Miller, web; and Jill Gray, Harold Rau and Bridgette Sharp,  photographers.

In the ACP’s “Event Promotion/Marketing Campaign/Brand Awareness” category, the Seminary received the following:

• A first-place Award of Excellence for the  Concordia Seminary Concert Series. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Jayna Rollings and  XiaoPei  Chen, creative; Melanie Ave, Sarah Maney and Erica Tape, communications; Dale Ward and Ryan Arnold, video; and Sid Hastings, Bridgette Sharp and Jarod Fenske, photographers.
• A second-place Award of Merit for the  2019 Multiethnic Symposium  event. Named in the award are  Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Jayna Rollings, Courtney Koll and Michelle  Poneleit, creative; Chris Miller, web; Sarah Maney, Lisa Mills and Melanie Ave, communications; John Clifton and Ryan Arnold, video; and Jill Gray, photographer.
• An Honorable Mention for the  2019 Theological Symposium  event. Named in the award are  Vicki Biggs, chief communications officer; Jayna Rollings and Courtney Koll, creative; Melanie Ave, Sarah Maney and Erica Tape, communications; Chris Miller, web; Ryan Arnold, live stream; and Jill Gray, Harold Rau and Bridgette Sharp, photographers.

In the ACP’s awards contest for specific categories,  the Seminary received the following:

• A first-place Award of Excellence in the category “Personal Experience (Long Format): Newspaper/Newsletter/News Service/Website/Blog” for the article “The Chance to Dance” on ConcordiaTheology.org. Named in the award are  Melanie Ave, writer; and Dr. Travis Scholl  and Dr. Erik Herrmann,  editors.
• An Honorable Mention in the category “Theological or Scholarly Article” for the article “Ad Fontem in Crucem: The Formative Function of the Cross as Artistic and Ritual Sign” in Concordia Journal. Named in the award is Dr. Kent Burreson.

In addition to the ACP awards, the Seminary was recognized by the EPA, a professional organization of Christian publications including magazines, newspapers, newsletters and content-rich websites. Its awards, which were given in recognition of exceptional content produced in 2019, were presented live online April 21.

In the EPA’s “Award of Excellence” contest for work done by publications, the Seminary received the following:

• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Higher Ed (Digital)” for Concordia Seminary magazine. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, Jayna Rollings, Chris Miller and Melanie Ave.
• A second-place Award of Merit in the category “Higher Ed (Print)” for Concordia Seminary magazine. Named in the award are Vicki Biggs, Melanie Ave, Jayna Rollings, Michelle Poneleit, Courtney Koll and Mia Mauss.

In the EPA’s “Higher Goals” contest for work done in specific categories, the Seminary received the following:

• A first-place award in the category “General Article: Long” for “Seminarians Living Lives of Significance” in Concordia Seminary magazine. Named in the award is Melanie Ave.
• A second-place award in the category “Blog: Single Post” for “The Chance to Dance” on ConcordiaTheology.org. Named in the award is Melanie Ave.

“It might feel a little awkward right now to celebrate these awards, but it shows that the work of Concordia Seminary always extends beyond the classroom into church offices, hallways, even the living rooms of countless Christians seeking deeper conversation about life centered in the Gospel,” said Dr. Travis Scholl, managing editor of Seminary publications.

Read the full list of ACP awards and the full list of EPA awards.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.