Stony Brook Earns Top Honors at the 2026 SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence

Stony Brook University outperformed every other institution at the annual SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence, presented at the SUNYCUAD Educational Conference June 3-5 in Albany.

Stony Brook brought home a total of 18 awards, including 13 earned directly by the Office of Marketing and Communications team. SBU won eight "Best in Category" awards and 10 "Judges' Citation" distinctions across a wide range of disciplines, including communications, design, marketing, photography, social media and writing.

The SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence program rewards the very best efforts of the talented and creative professionals throughout the SUNY system. During the spring semester, juries with professional experience in the specific categories determined the winners. The judging was hosted and coordinated by colleagues of SUNY institutions.

Stony Brook also won a CASE Circle of Excellence Award, taking bronze in the category of Design - Covers for Issue 14 of Stony Brook University Magazine. It is Stony Brook's first time entering the cover design category.

This year's SUNYCUAD winners are:

Best of Category

Advancement, Constituent Experience, Alumni Relations
Antonio Clarke, Danielle Engel, Alasdair Lambert, Janet Masini, Leigh Regan
Excellence in Strategy
Alumni Relations - 4-6 Staff
Seawolves Social Hours: Community Connections with Stony Brook

Marketing and Communications
Jacqueline Acevedo
Excellence in Creativity
Design: Logo - 4-6 Staff
Manhattan to Montauk Skyline

Marketing and Communications
Allison Schwartz, Karen Leibowitz, Shelley Catalano
Excellence in Creativity
Design: Magazine or Periodical - 4-6 Staff
Stony Brook University Magazine, Issue 14

Marketing and Communications
John Griffin
Excellence in Creativity
Photography: Photo Series
2025: Every Picture Tells a Story

Marketing and Communications
Jess Stallone
Excellence in Creativity
Writing: Research
Stony Brook University Magazine: A Legacy of Quantum

Marketing and Communications
Ellen Cooke
Excellence in Creativity
Writing: Feature
Stony Brook University Magazine: Why the Humanities Matter

Marketing and Communications
Tori Zito-Graham, Anna Schneider, Caitlyn Mark, James Boglioli
Excellence in Strategy
Social Media - 4-6 Staff
Wolfie Dancing Series

Division of Student Affairs and the Office of the President
Excellence in Strategy
Special Events - 4-6 Staff
The BIG Reveal: SBU Landmark Letters

Judges' Citation

Advancement
Andrea Lebedinski, Erika Lorentzson, Annual Giving, MarComm
Excellence in Strategy
Alumni Relations - 1-3 Staff
GOLD: A Strategic Model Connecting Recent Graduates and Building Community

Advancement Marketing and Communications
Manny Saladino
Excellence in Creativity
Design: Single-page Publication - 7+ Staff
Homecoming Invite

Alumni Affinity Programs, Office of Alumni Relations
Robby Griswold, Emma Backfish, Jennifer Filasky
Excellence in Strategy
Special Events - 1-3 Staff
The Sneaker Ball Gala: Powerhouse Affinity Fundraising at Stony Brook

Marketing and Communications
Ellen Cooke, Kristyn Greco, Dennis Murray, Yufei Chen, John Griffin
Excellence in Strategy
Communications - 7+ Staff
Meet Your New Colleagues Campaign

Marketing and Communications
Jacqueline Acevedo, Allison Schwartz
Excellence in Creativity
Design: Single-page Publication - 4-6 Staff
Admitted Students Family Sticker Postcard

Marketing and Communications
Excellence in Strategy
Marketing - 7+ Staff
Stony Brook University: No Place Like Our Home

Marketing and Communications
John Griffin
Excellence in Creativity
Photography: Individual Photograph
Sunkoo Yuh - Cycles of Clay

Marketing and Communications
Tori Zito-Graham, Anna Schneider, Caitlyn Mark, Faiza Mia
Excellence in Strategy
Social Media - 4-6 Staff
Stranger Brook

Marketing and Communications
Robert Emproto
Excellence in Creativity
Writing: News
SBU News: Nancy Hiemstra Explores the Economies of Immigrant Detention

Human Resources, Marketing and Communications
Jeanmarie Ricciardi, Ellen Cooke, Dennis Murray, Jaime Woll, Alina Rossi
Excellence in Strategy
Communications - 7+ Staff
Be Heard: Employee Engagement Survey, Strategic Communications and Socialization Campaign