Auburn College of Education Communications and Marketing team earns international CASE Award for reimagined Keystone Magazine

The Communications and Marketing team in Auburn University's College of Education has earned international recognition for its reimagined 2025 digital magazine, The Keystone, receiving a 2026 CASE Silver Circle of Excellence Award in the online magazines category.

The award recognizes the work of the College of Education Communications and Marketing team, including Preston Sparks (the college’s director of communications and marketing and The Keystone’s managing editor/writer); Mary Kate Hughes (communications and marketing specialist and Keystone writer/editor); Miranda Nobles (communications and marketing specialist and Keystone writer/editor); and Jared Long (media production specialist and Keystone creative director and photographer), along with photo/video support by former College of Education intern Brackin Bankston, contributing writers Kelley Young and Alice Manning Touchette and drone footage by Trey Wood of Auburn University Facilities Management. Judges praised the publication's cohesive design, creative storytelling and impressive results.

Presented by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Circle of Excellence Awards recognize outstanding achievement in educational advancement, marketing, communications, alumni relations and fundraising. This year, teams from 628 institutions across 33 countries submitted 4,185 entries for consideration. Volunteer judges selected 493 entries for recognition based on quality, innovation, effective use of resources and measurable impact. 

“The 2025 edition of The Keystone represented far more than a magazine redesign,” Sparks said. “It was an opportunity to tell the story of a transformational moment in our college’s history and to showcase how our faculty, staff, students and alumni are opening doors of opportunity and improving lives every day. I am so proud of our team and our college for this global recognition, which reflects the creativity, dedication and collaboration of a talented group of professionals committed to advancing our college’s mission through impactful storytelling.”

In 2025, the College of Education’s Office of Communications and Marketing transformed its annual digital magazine into a dynamic multimedia storytelling experience centered on the college’s new marketing theme, “Opening doors, improving lives.” The publication celebrated the opening of the college’s new building while showcasing the institution’s impact through immersive photography, video and feature storytelling.

The magazine guided readers through the college’s classrooms, laboratories and learning spaces using a combination of drone footage, portrait photography and narrative features. A signature drone-filmed sequence welcomed viewers through the doors of the new building, while stories highlighted groundbreaking research, community outreach, experiential learning, student success and transformational partnerships.

The redesign also prioritized user experience, integrating high-quality video, photography, an accessibility tool, intuitive navigation and mobile-friendly responsiveness through a partnership with digital publishing company Vertiqul.

The effort resonated strongly with audiences. Viewership of the magazine nearly doubled from the previous year, with audience engagement growing through embedded multimedia content, strategic social media promotion, homepage placement and an email campaign distributed to alumni, donors and peers.

The drone video production became a community-wide celebration, bringing together faculty, staff, students, Aubie and former Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl to participate in filming and mark the opening of the building. The resulting content helped amplify the magazine’s reach and provided additional storytelling assets for future promotional efforts.

The Keystone continues to serve as a flagship storytelling platform for the College of Education, with the 2026 edition of The Keystone recently released and focused on the college's many initiatives in artificial intelligence.