Memorial University has been again singled out for excellence for its 2009 research report This is the start of something BIG, a publication created inside the university that has already collected several national awards.

Members of the university’s Division of Marketing and Communications collected a 2010 gold award for best brochure/catalogue/annual report for This is the start of something BIG: Research Report 2009 at the annual ICE awards in Halifax, N.S., last month.

Articulating the qualities of innovation, creativity and enterprise, the ICE Awards are organized by a diverse group of Atlantic Canadian advertising and marketing professionals to celebrate marketing made in Atlantic Canada.

In addition to the gold medal, a merit award was given in the same category for Z to A: President’s Report 2009, yet another in-house Memorial publication recognized at the national level.

“These awards speak to the inventive and imaginative nature consistently demonstrated by the people of Memorial,” said Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor of Memorial University. “We encourage our students, faculty and staff to discover their own ingenuity, and these winning reports reflect this emphasis.”

Victoria Collins, executive director of the MarComm division, said the positive recognition from industry colleagues and peers helps to motivate her creative team to top their own work year after year.

“The ICE gold and merit awards serve to draw attention to Memorial University’s strengths and acknowledge a job well done, as well as to inspire us to outdo ourselves in our subsequent efforts,” she said. “Each new challenge provides yet another opportunity to connect Memorial’s success stories to an ever-widening audience in a memorable way.”

This is the start of something BIG: Research Report 2009 was produced by Memorial’s Division of Marketing and Communications for the Office of the Vice-President (Research). It also includes a website: www.mun.ca/big. Beyond the content of the oversized booklet, the website provides contacts and information on research services and partnership opportunities at the university, as well as unique videos promoting the report. The video clips feature Memorial alumni at various locations around the world.

Z to A: President’s Report 2009 is an 88-page, pocket-sized booklet based on the theme that Memorial University is home to individuals who are following an audacious path in life –zaggers -- or intellectual adventurers. The 26 stories in the report are based on words that capture the Memorial experience, each beginning with a letter of the alphabet as it runs in reverse order. This sequence literally articulates Memorial University’s 2008-09 year using a lexicon inspired by the events and accomplishments of Memorial’s faculty, staff and students. The 2009 report is also a comprehensive website: www.mun.ca/2009report.