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  • July 29, 2026
  • Sean Doherty

Northwestern University Relations Wins Grand Award for Social Media Presence at 2026 OCPRA Awards

Sean Doherty, Kelsey Martin and Valarie Case of Northwestern Oklahoma State University's University Relations department, each holding an acrylic award, stand in front of an Oklahoma College Public Relations Association backdrop at the 2026 OCPRA awards banquet at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant.
The University Relations Department at Northwestern Oklahoma State University won three awards at the OCPRA annual conference July 19-21 at Choctaw Casino and Resort. Pictured with their awards are (left to right) Sean Doherty, Kelsey Martin and Valarie Case. Not pictured: Corky (Hall) Rucker.

ALVA, Okla. — The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Relations department brought home three awards from the Oklahoma College Public Relations Association (OCPRA) annual conference and awards banquet July 19-21 at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant.

Submissions are judged by third party professionals in the strategic communication field and are given at Grand, Excellence, and Achievement levels.

Grand Award: Best Social Media Presence (Small Team)

Valarie Case, assistant director of university relations; Sean Doherty, university relations specialist; Kelsey Martin, director of marketing and university relations; and Corky (Hall) Rucker, university relations intern and a 2026 media and communication graduate, earned the Grand Award in the Best Social Media Presence (Small Team) category.

The entry showcased their social media reel campaign during the spring semester for the university’s academic departments, along with other highlights during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Achievement Awards: Photography and Video

Case earned an Achievement Award for Promotional or Feature Photo (Small Team) for a group photo of Northwestern students used in publications and on the university’s website homepage.

Doherty also won an Achievement Award for Best Sports/Hype Video of a reel depicting the fun happening during the fall’s annual Meet the Rangers event at Ranger Field.

“I am incredibly proud of the work our team continuously produces, most of the time behind the scenes editing and creating,” Martin said. “They are videographers, photographers, copy editors, content creators, website editors and so much more. Winning these awards is a great way to honor the creation and implementation of our projects.”

About the OCPRA Competition

OCPRA received 622 entries from 36 institutions for its 55 categories.

Founded in 1969, OCPRA provides networking and professional development opportunities to staff working in public relations and associated fields at Oklahoma’s public and private colleges and universities. The organization hosts an annual conference and awards banquet each summer and a fall workshop for its 30 member institutions.

Learn more about the Oklahoma College Public Relations Association.

Contact Northwestern University Relations

  • Visit the Northwestern University Relations webpage
  • Email Northwestern University Relations

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