UA Little Rock Employees Earn Honors in 2025 Arkansas Press Women Communications Contest
University of Arkansas at Little Rock employees from across campus were recognized for their exceptional work in journalism, marketing, design, and public relations during the 2025 Arkansas Press Women (APW) Professional Communications Contest. The annual awards ceremony was held June 21 at Central Baptist College in Conway.
Staff and student employees from UA Little Rock’s Office of Communications and Marketing earned multiple top awards, while two additional employees were also honored.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team’s work being recognized by Arkansas Press Women,” said Dr. Carrie Phillips, chief communications and marketing officer at UA Little Rock. “These awards reflect the creativity, collaboration, and strategic thinking that define our approach to storytelling. From student assistants to senior staff, it’s rewarding to see their talent celebrated on a statewide stage.
Graphic designer Muriel Schrepfer stood out with six awards, including five first-place awards and one second place. They include first place for her work on a Trojan Guarantee ad campaign, a basketball season poster, an admissions brochure, and the university’s brand style guide.
Angelita Faller, news director, took home five awards, including first place honors for a news release on a $5 million drug prevention grant, a media pitch highlighting innovation, a series of eclipse-related news stories, and editing the UA Little Rock Alumni Association newsletter.
Phillips earned first place for her role in the university’s integrated communications campaign surrounding the 2024 solar eclipse event, as well as second-place honors for the university’s annual report and a faculty-focused advertising campaign.
Senior graphic designer Klansee Tozer earned second place for the Donaghey Scholars recruitment mailer and shared honorable mention for graphics promoting the Trojan Way dedication.
Bobbie Handcock, web content specialist, received an honorable mention for a feature profile titled “Against All Odds,” which highlighted a graduate overcoming severe health setbacks.
Sadie Tucker, director of communications for the College of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education, won first place in online news writing for her story about the reopening of Gallery One and received an honorable mention in arts and entertainment reporting.
Robert Steinbuch, Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law and columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, also earned an honorable mention in the general column writing category.
Three recent graduates from UA Little Rock who worked in Communication and Marketing were also among the winners. Editorial assistant Rian Newman earned first place for a feature story on a nursing graduate, while graphic design assistant Charla Tozer brought home four awards, including first place for a sticker sheet design and a holiday art sale advertisement. She also received two second-place awards for an illustration for the law school and an invitation for a graduate night basketball event.
Graduate assistant Ahmed Elkhattabi received an honorable mention for a news story highlighting the university’s participation in a national disability awareness campaign.
First-place entries will advance to the national competition, where awards will be presented Sept. 13 during the NFPW conference in Golden, Colorado.