University prospectus wins gold award at 2019 HEIST Awards

17 Jul 2019

The University of Manchester has been awarded gold in the Best Undergraduate Prospectus category at the 2019 HEIST Awards.

At an awards ceremony in Manchester’s Principal Hotel on Thursday, 11 July, members of the Division of Communications and Marketing and Student Communications and Marketing collected the award on behalf of the huge number of colleagues across the University who help to create the publication.

A key piece of recruitment collateral at any university, the prospectus involves a huge amount of coordination between colleagues in central, Faculty and School teams each year. At Manchester, 34,000 copies are produced; 13,000 of these are sent directly following online requests from potential applicants and the other 21,000 are used at events such as open days, as well as sent to school and colleges’ careers libraries.

For the 2019 edition, colleagues in the Division and Communications and Marketing and Student Communications and Marketing worked together to develop a creative theme that would appeal to students who want not just to study but also to explore. Current students and staff were integral to telling the story of what life is like at Manchester. You can read more about the project on the Division of Communication and Marketing StaffNet pages.

Judges described Manchester’s entry as “a stand-out prospectus with a strong narrative that portrays a true sense of community at The University of Manchester” and “an iconic piece of work.”

The HEIST Awards is hosted by HAVAS Education, part of HAVAS Group, one of the world’s largest communications networks. Running for 29 years, the awards celebrate excellence and innovation in education marketing.

“We know from research that prospectuses remain a valued piece of recruitment collateral, providing comprehensive course information while also giving a flavour of life at the University,” said Sally Sykes, Director of Communications and Marketing, Division of Communications and Marketing.

“The HEIST Awards are judged by some of the most respected professionals in university marketing and so receiving this recognition is a wonderful reward for the hard work and creativity of people across the University.”

“The 2019 prospectus was a real team effort amongst central and Faculty teams and the whole direction was different for this year,” added Richard Cotton, Director of Student Recruitment and International Development, Directorate for the Student Experience.

“We recognised the need to differentiate what Manchester offers to our audience, and this is reflected in the narrative-style approach and bold photography. We’re extremely proud of the result, and of course, delighted with the award and recognition!”