Middle Tennessee State University’s “Centennial Celebration” publicity campaign won a coveted Parthenon Award at the Nashville Public Relations Society of America’s recent 26th annual Parthenon Awards Dinner.

MTSU’s 100th-anniversary efforts brought home the top award in the “Special Events” category, besting some of the top public-relations firms in the Nashville area.

“This Parthenon Award is the result of a great deal of creativity and hard work from a lot of professionals who participated in the yearlong project,” said Andrew Oppmann, associate vice president of marketing and communications. “Untold hours were put into designing, writing, photography and video production, all of the highest quality.

“The entire University, and all of our supporters who participated in the Centennial, can take pride in this recognition.”

The MTSU Magazine also received an Award of Merit for writing for its January 2012 cover story, “Shell Shocked.”

The story by Allison Gorman profiled MTSU Professor Tanya Peres’s efforts to document and protect prehistoric sites uncovered in the aftermath of the May 2010 Nashville Basin flood.

The PRSA Nashville Parthenon Awards recognize the best in public relations and communications projects throughout middle Tennessee. The event was held April 19 at the Marathon Music Works in Nashville, and CMT Radio personality Samantha Stephens served as host.

The PRSA is the nation’s largest community of public relations and communications professionals. It provides training and scholarships for students, promotes ethical principles and sets standards of excellence in the industry.

To read the award-winning “Shell Shocked” article, visit mtpress.mtsu.edu/magazine/index.php/shell-shocked. To see a few of the facets of the University’s Centennial Campaign efforts, visit www.mtsu.edu/centennial.