This year’s annual Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Higher Education (MACE) Excellence Awards can best be summed up with the lyrics from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, “Oh what a night”, as Stellenbosch University (SU) scooped 27 certificates of excellence, including a coveted platinum award. 

At a glittering ceremony held in Johannesburg last week, SU was one of 17 institutions of higher education from around the country to be recognised for outstanding work in marketing, advancement and communication within Southern Africa’s higher education sector. Several SU divisions – including Corporate Communication and Marketing (CCMD), Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), Student Recruitment, the Division for Institutional Strategy, Research and Analytics (ISRA) and the SU Library and Information Service – received recognition for their submissions. 

SU’s Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) Division won one of only three platinum awards of excellence – the #WelcomeToYourMatieFamily brand-building campaign was the highest-scoring entry in the campaigns division. 

Overall, SU performed exceptionally well across all three divisions – campaigns, channels and skills – to also secure five gold , eight silver and 13 bronze awards. (Full list of awards below)

Shining a spotlight on “strategic excellence, creative delivery and professional distinction”, the MACE Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate exceptional work produced by marketing, communication and advancement teams in higher education. 

This year’s awards ceremony concluded an engaging two-day conference, themed The Human Touch in the Era of AI and Social Media, where expert speakers emphasised the importance of human-centred skills such as creativity, empathy, storytelling and connection in a world of rapidly evolving technology. 

The conference provides an invaluable opportunity for professionals in the higher learning sector to gather and share insights and expertise. It is one of only a few platforms to recognise the work being done by these practitioners in advancing their respective institutions.

For the first time, the programme also featured the Young Blood Mentoring Workshop for new and emerging professionals.

SU’s award highlights

Development and Alumni Relations Division (three awards)

DAR received three awards, including the prestigious platinum award for its #WelcomeToYourMatieFamily campaign. The team also secured a silver award for its audio-visual entry Matie Legends and Pioneers Showmax Project and a bronze award for the #VolunteerPower campaign.

Karen Bruns, Senior Director of DAR explains: “Matie Legends & Pioneers is our way of reflecting on the profound contributions of Maties to South Africa and beyond. It’s about sharing the personal and collective journeys that define what it means to be a Matie – stories of transformation, resilience, and an enduring commitment to making the world a better place.”

Partnering with Showmax ensures that Matie Legends & Pioneers reached millions of viewers across Africa and beyond. Showmax’s commitment to showcasing African stories aligns with Stellenbosch University’s goal to celebrate local voices and bring its rich history to a global stage

“These achievements highlight the department’s unwavering commitment to innovation, relationship-building and strategic storytelling, all essential pillars of advancement excellence,” says Simone Davies, Production Coordinator: Development and Alumni Relations.

Student Recruitment Division (six awards)

SU’s Student Recruitment Division won six awards, including two of the five gold awards presented on the night – a notable accomplishment. Gold went to the #whoyoubecome undergraduate application campaign in both the student recruitment campaign and social media channel categories. The Division also received two silver and two bronze awards, signifying “a firm recognition of the excellence of undergraduate recruitment strategies at the University,” says Christelle Feyt, Senior Director: Student Recruitment Division.

SU Library and Information Service (three awards)

The SU Library was honoured with a gold award and two bronze awards. The gold award recognised the Library’s 2023 Annual Report, From Local Impact to Global Firsts: SU Library’s 2023 Milestones. Bronze awards were given for the video entry, Discover. Connect. Learn. Succeed., and for the exhibition, Turning Pages: 30 Years of Democracy. Ellen Tise, Senior Director: Library and Information Service, said she is extremely proud of her team for their contribution to these achievements.

MFM 92.6 (Institutional Strategy, Research and Analytics) (two awards)

MFM 92.6 was the only campus radio station to be recognised, winning a silver and a gold award for its 30th Birthday Campaign. Jacolette Kloppers, of SU’s Institutional Strategy, Research and Analytics Division (ISRA), submitted the entries and collected the awards on behalf of the station. MFM content manager Steyn du Toit later paid tribute to the 125 former MFM presenters, from the class of 1990 to 2025, whose memories helped shaped the impactful celebratory campaign.

Corporate Communication and Marketing (nine awards)

This division earned one gold, three silver and five bronze awards across various categories.
Anél Lewis, senior journalist, was recognised in the Skills – writing for news category for her story, Sweet Success, which told the story of a student who sold bags of sweets to settle outstanding debt so she could graduate. Dr Alec Basson received silver in the same category for his article, Experts rally for stronger dragonfly conservation action. 

The Banners to Bags project secured two bronze awards for visual design and videography. Charlene Wicomb attended the awards in a striking bespoke dress made from the same upcycled banners, symbolising SU’s commitment to sustainability and collaboration. Two community and social-responsibility campaigns: #LeadTheChangeSU and Together for a safer campus – also won bronze awards. 

The marketing team won a silver award for the prestigious event, A Laureate’s Dinner: Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela. Designer Andile Makhunga collected two bronze awards for digital and visual design.

Blanche De Vries-Bartes took silver in the printed and digital annual reports category for the SU Annual Integrated Report 2024.

Additional awards for SU included a bronze for the SDG Hub’s Corina du Toit for the SDG 2063 Impact Hub Annual Report. Wilma Stassen from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences won one silver and one bronze award for her work in the news categories, while Meggan Ceylon won a bronze award for her work in the events category. 

"These accolades are a powerful endorsement of SU’s strategic approach to brand-building. They reflect our commitment to creativity, digital innovation and authentic storytelling, all aligned with our vision of being a globally competitive, inclusive institution. We are proud to see our teams’ work recognised nationally and remain focused on setting new benchmarks for excellence in higher education marketing and communication, " says Cristal Peterson, Director: Marketing. 

“SU’s strong performance at the 2025 MACE Excellence Awards underscores the depth of expertise, innovation and professional excellence within our teams. The 27 accolades awarded to SU reflect work of the highest standard and serve as a clear affirmation of the University’s trajectory as a continental and global leader,” says Tertia Kruger, Director: Communication.

SU’s MACE awards for 2025:

Platinum

• Brand-building campaigns: #WelcomeToYourMatieFamily - DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS (DAR) DIVISION

Gold

• Student recruitment campaigns: #whoyoubecome – STUDENT RECRUITMENT DIVISION
• Printed and digital annual reports: From Local Impact to Global Firsts: SU Library’s 2023 annual report – SU LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE
• Social media: #whoyoubecome: Connect. Inform.Guide. – STUDENT RECRUITMENT DIVISION
• Single and multi-day: MFM 92.6 – 30th birthday campaign – MFM 92.6 (DIVISION FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY, RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS)
• Writing for news channels: Sweet Success – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING                       

Silver

• Alumni campaigns: MFM 92.6 – 30th birthday campaign - MFM 92.6 (DIVISION FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY, RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS)
• Printed: Other publications: Access for Success: Undergraduate Prospectus - STUDENT RECRUITMENT DIVISION
• Printed and digital annual reports: Stellenbosch University Annual Integrated Report 2024 – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Websites: Discover. Belong. Become. – STUDENT RECRUITMENT DIVISION
• Events: Single and multi-day: A Laureate’s Dinner: Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Audio, visual and audio-visual: Matie Legends and Pioneers - DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS (DAR) DIVISION
• Writing for news channels: Experts rally for stronger dragonfly conservation action – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Writing for news channels: Save7 Life Pod Launch – FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES

Bronze

• Brand-building campaigns: #VolunteerPower - DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS (DAR) DIVISION
• Community and social-responsibility campaigns: #LeadTheChangeSU – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Community and social-responsibility campaigns: Together for a safer campus – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Printed and digital annual reports: SDG 2063 Impact Hub Annual Report - SDG/2063 IMPACT HUB
• Events: Single and multi-day: Hybrid Open Day – STUDENT RECRUITMENT DIVISION
• Events: Single and multi-day: FMHS Postgraduate Open Day – FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES[D[1]
• Events: Single and multi-day: Turning Pages: 30 Years of Democracy - SU LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE
• Events: Single and multi-day: Next-Gen Maties On-campus Experience – STUDENT RECUITMENT DIVISION
• Videography: Discover. Connect. Learn. Succeed – SU LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE
• Design for visual channels: Banners to Bags – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Design for digital channels: A Day in the Life – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
• Writing for features, documentaries, and brochures: Central Karoo InReach – FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES
• Videography: Banners to Bags video – CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING