Overlooked in Appalachia Earns Awards of Excellence

Overlooked in Appalachia is now an award-winning organization, claiming six awards at the annual Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Tri-Cities spring banquet. Students submitted campaigns and works ranging from the intricate methods of the organization's rebrand all the way to a documentary on post-military life.

The PRSA is the leading professional organization serving the communications community through a network of more than 400 professional and student chapters in the U.S. and abroad.

Award winners include:

• Kat Staton – Award of Excellence, Owned Media - Non-Traditional Tactics: Overlooked in Appalachia Rebrand

• Hunter Mehaffey & Kat Staton – Award of Excellence, Owned Media - Digital Platforms: Overlooked in Appalachia Website Rebrand and Digital Relaunch

• Brian Disoso – Award of Excellence, Owned Media – Video: Finding a New Mission After the Military

• Faith Vance & Braden Holly – Award of Quality, Shared Media: Breaking the News: Country Thunder

• Hunter Mehaffey & Faith Vance – Award of Merit, Earned Media - Executive Communications: Building an Internal Community

• Corey Ray – Award of Excellence, Student Projects: Where the Water Receded, The Struggle Remained

While OIA’s efforts are primarily public-facing through storytelling, much of the internal work that is crucial for the organization’s success was recognized with these awards by peer-reviewed public relations professionals.

Explore the award-winning website and stories at OverlookedinAppalachia.org

The East Tennessee State University’s Media and Communication Department is currently forming its first Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. Anyone interested in joining the chapter or learning more, please contact Faculty Advisor and Assistant Professor of Journalism Senta Scarborough at scarboroughs@etsu.edu

Photos contributed by PRSA Tri-Cities