The IABC/BC Student Communicator of the Year (SCOY) Award is offered exclusively to IABC/BC student members. This award recognizes developing talent, rewards excellence, and showcases some of the best communication work from students across the province. In addition to the award and recognition on IABC/BC communication channels, winners receive IABC membership for one year and a scholarship of up to $800.
1st Place Award – Award of Excellence Recipient
Michelle Mitchell – University of Victoria
Category: Communication Campaigns
Title of submission: “Arts Reach”
Name: Michelle Mitchell
Twitter Handle: @seachelledesign
School: University of Victoria
Client: Arts Reach/ the Octa Collective
Title of Entry: Arts Reach Communications Plan
How long you have been a member of IABC BC: April 2015
What inspired you to submit your entry to SCOY 2015? After the completion of the plan for my course, my teacher encouraged me to seek opportunities in which I could submit my plan for award consideration. My current boss is a member of IABC, and forwarded me information regarding the SCOY application. Since joining IABC, I have benefited from the many resources available to members on a regular basis.
Your goals & aspirations upon graduation: I look forward to applying the skills I have learned in my courses to my job as a communications officer with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC.
How does IABC BC help you reach your goals: IABC BC has a great selection of resources available to help communication professionals. I have found many helpful tips and tricks from the Weekly Digest.
Highlights of Experience:
Michelle Mitchell is currently enrolled in the Diploma for Public Relations program at the University of Victoria. After graduating from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, she moved to Victoria with her husband in a semi-successful attempt to escape winter. In her spare time, Michelle is actively involved in community theatre productions around Victoria. She has served on the board with Four Seasons Community Theatre, which provides theatre opportunities for the entire family, and continues to advocate for access to the arts. Her passion for communications and the arts made the artsREACH communications plan an ideal project to work on.
Summary of Project Submission:
The OCTA Collective is a non-profit society with charity status that provides arts workshops to children from low-income families throughout the Capital Regional District in British Columbia. The main program and focus of the society, artsREACH, required a clear communications strategy to ensure a consistent and accurate flow of information to members, donors and other key publics. The plan was developed to assist the society with planning and implementing strategies by identifying key publics and developing tactics. As a volunteer driven society relying on external funding, it was necessary for communications to drive engagement from the key publics.
2nd Place Award – Award of Merit Recipient
Terence Chu – Simon Fraser University
Category: Communication Campaigns
Title of submission: “North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week”
Name: Terence Chu
Twitter Handle: @terencewc
School: Simon Fraser University
Client: go2HR – the resource for people in tourism
Category Communication Campaign
Title of Entry: North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week Communication Campaign
How long you have been a member of IABC BC: Since April 2015
What inspired you to submit your entry to SCOY 2015? To showcase how communications can be used to support a good cause – in this case, health and safety in the workplace.
Your goals & aspirations upon graduation: To experience a Working Holiday in London, Australia, or Auckland as a communications professional.
How does IABC BC help you reach your goals: IABC BC provides me with valuable insights through its weekly newsletters and professional connections through industry events such as the Wave Awards Gala.
Highlights of Experience:
- I spent a semester studying international and political communication at the University of Amsterdam in the fall of 2014.
- I’m currently finishing my degree in communication at Simon Fraser University while working as an intern at FleishmanHillard where I deal with public relations and public affairs.
- I also have experience working as a technical writer for Ericsson Telecommunications and as a volunteer social media coordinator for the Kids Up Front Foundation.
Summary of Project Submission:
As part of my co-op work term with go2HR, I created a communication campaign to promote North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week in BC among employees in the tourism and hospitality industry. Our goal was to work with operators in the industry to create safer workplaces with an emphasis on prevention. The campaign included a communication plan, dedicated webpages, newsletters and a contest component.
