UMC and Magazine win top honors for shining a light on Wake Forest
Wake Forest is fortunate to have a talented team of writers, photographers, designers, videographers, marketers and storytellers working behind the scenes to bring the University’s story to life. Their work plays a critical role in shaping how Wake Forest is viewed by prospective students, alumni, donors, partners and the broader community. These colleagues often stay behind the scenes while their work shines a light on the remarkable people, ideas and activities that make Wake Forest what it is.
During the 2025-26 year, the creative talent across University Marketing and Communications and Wake Forest Magazine earned recognition from industry peers through national awards honoring excellence in marketing, writing, photography, design and storytelling. These honors represent not just individual accomplishments, but the collaborative work that goes into telling the Wake Forest story.
University Marketing and Communications
CASE Circle of Excellence Awards
- Bronze, Marketing | Micro-sites, for the Accepted Students website (project led by Pete Nowak, Senior Director, Digital Strategy & Enrollment Marketing)
- Bronze, Writing | Column or Opinion Piece, for “Tall Poppy Syndrome” (written by Betsy Chapman, Senior Executive Director of Family Communications
MarCom Awards Gold Awards
- On Topic: Faculty Expert Videos + Q&As (project led by Cheryl Walker, Senior Executive Director of News and Public Relations)
- “Tall Poppy Syndrome” (written by Betsy Chapman, Senior Executive Director of Family Communications
- Wake Forest Magazine website (Simone Parker, Associate Director, Digital)
University Photographers’ Association of America (UPAA) Awards
- First place, Viewbook, for the 2025-26 Viewbook (Lyndsie Schlink, Director of Photography)
- First place, Publication Covers, for the Spring 2026 Wake Forest Magazine (Lyndsie Schlink, Director of Photography)
- Second place, General Publications, for the Spring 2026 Wake Forest Magazine (Lyndsie Schlink, Director of Photography and Nick Fantasia, Assistant Director of Photography)
Wake Forest Magazine
2025 CASE Best of District III Awards
- General Interest, for the Spring 2024 “How To” issue
- Single Topic/Special Edition, for the Fall 2024 Photography issue
2026 CASE Gold Circle of Excellence Awards
- Design, for the Summer 2025 Creativity Issue
- Design, for the Spring 2025 Mentoring Issue
Wake Forest Magazine Staff
- Chad Cheek (MBA ’05), Associate Vice President and Editor-at-Large
- Natalie Jennings, Senior Managing Editor
- Kelly Greene (’91), Managing Editor
- Katherine Laws Waters (’20), Deputy Editor
- Matthew Johnson, Digital Content Editor
- Hayes Henderson, Creative Director
- Julie Helsabeck, Designer
- Lyndsie Schlink, Director of Photography
- Nick Fantasia, Assistant Director of Photography
Categories: Awards & Recognition