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Celebrating inspirational marketing

The NIRSA Creative Excellence Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in marketing. Honor the exceptional efforts of your marketing team by submitting an application for the NIRSA Creative Excellence Awards.

Each year award recipients are recognized through a variety of mediums, including press releases, social media, and various digital displays and announcements at conferences throughout the year.

Application period is CLOSED.

The application period happens in the fall of each year.

Application Information

Other Information

Collegiate recreation students and professionals are among the most innovative marketers of events and programs on college and university campuses.

We have all seen (or helped to create) fun and effective campaigns promoting recreational sports, fitness, facilities, and programs.

Categories

Brand Identity & Visual Design (logo revamps, signage, large format visuals)

  • Standout creative work focuses on brand elements for recreation programs, facilities, or services. Focus on branding elements.
  • Examples: Logo refresh, facility signage or maps inside the rec center, coordinated graphics for a campaign.

Digital Content & Storytelling (videos, interactive website components)

  • Celebrates excellence in digital storytelling formats such as video, interactive web features, or short-form content highlighting the impact of recreation.
  • Examples: Member spotlight videos, virtual facility tours, interactive wellness hubs.

Experiential & Pop-up Activations (on-campus engagement events)

  • Highlights creative, on-campus experiential promotions or activations that drive participation or awareness in recreation.
  • Examples: Pop-up group fitness classes in public spaces, tabling events.

Integrated Marketing Campaign (multi-channel efforts across print, digital, and merchandise)

  • Recognizes comprehensive campaigns that use multiple channels (print, digital, social media, on-campus activations) to promote a recreation program, event, facility, or initiative.
  • Examples: New facility opening campaign, semester-long fitness challenge promotions.

Print Collateral & Publication (brochures, magazines, impact reports)

  • Excellence in design and content for printed materials that promote recreation programs, services, or facilities.
  • Examples: Brochures, seasonal program guides, posters, banners, or specialty print pieces.

Social Media Campaign (platform-specific campaigns with analytics)

  • Outstanding use of social media to engage the campus community and promote recreation programs or initiatives.
  • Examples: Instagram reels series for promotions, TikTok challenges, hashtag-based community building.

Student-Generated Content Campaigns

  • Recognizes campaigns created primarily by student staff that reflect the student recreation experience.
  • Examples: Student social media takeovers, peer-created highlight videos.
Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be nominated:

  • Work must originate from the collegiate recreation department. Consultants or agencies can be used for the work, but submissions must come from the school.
  • Work must be produced, launched, or published within the two-year period, May 1, 2024 – April 30, 2026.
  • A single project can be entered in only one category. Institutions may submit multiple entries in the same category if each represents a distinct project.

Selection Criteria

  • Creativity & Innovation
  • Alignment with Recreation Department Brand/Mission
  • Execution and Professionalism
  • Audience Engagement & Impact

Award Recipients

2025-2020

This section is under construction and will be updated soon!

Entry Fee & Payment Information

Institutional Members: $20/entry

Institutional Nonmembers: $85/entry

Payment can be made online using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover credit cards.

A link for payment can be found following the submission of the application.

Applications are not considered complete until payment is received.

If you wish to pay with a credit card via telephone or by check, please contact our Billing Coordinator at 541-766-8211 after submitting your application.