The Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony kicked off this year’s 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 11 in Dallas.The Best of NAMA awards competition recognizes excellence in creative agri-marketing communications. Companies and agencies must first qualify through regional competition in order to advance to the national level.

Entries were first judged at one of six regional levels in November and the top two entries were eligible to advance to the national judging which was held in February in Kansas City. Nearly 1,100 entries were submitted at the regional levels and 434 entries were judged at the national level.

This year’s award ceremony was emceed by Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson, WGN Radio, and award presenters were Jim Haist, Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications, and Steve Engle.

Three Best of Show awards were given in the areas of Advertising, Public Relations and Specialty categories. Below are the Best of Show winners:

Advertising
Client: National Pork Board, Clive, IA – Becca Hendricks
Agency: The Richards Group, Dallas, TX – Travis Hopper
Entry: The Other White Album

Public Relations
Client: McDonald’s Corporation, Oak Brook, IL – Tara Hayes
Agency: Morgan&Myers, and Golin Harris (Cooperative Consumer Agency), Waukesha, WI – Judy Rupnow
Entry: McDonald’s Food Quality Symposium

Specialty
Client: Nestle Purina, St. Louis, MO – Candy Caciolo
Agency: Colle+McVoy, Minneapolis, MN – Michelle Frys
Entry: Purina Pro Plan Everyday Heroes Print Campaign

Look to the AgriMarketing Magazine web site for a listing of all the winners at http://www.agrimarketing.com/nama2007front.php.