The staff earned Best in Show for its videos
Posted: July 16, 2025
The Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association’s Communications Department won 10 first-place awards and best-in-show honors in a national contest for its videos, social media, electronic newsletters, and the design and unveiling of HSTA’s new logo.
In late May, the HSTA was recognized with the awards at the State Education Association Communicators (SEAComm) conference in Minneapolis.
The SEAComm awards program annually recognizes outstanding work from graphic designers, public relations specialists, editors, photographers, digital media specialists, writers, webmasters, and media planners employed by state affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA).
HSTA earns ‘Best in Show’ in video category
Judges from across the country evaluated HSTA’s award entries against the work of communications teams from other states with 20,000 or fewer educator members. Awards were also issued to states with more members.
HSTA earned a Best in Show Video award, representing the best work in the video category compared to all entries from every state, large and small, that participated in the contest.
The HSTA communications team was honored with first-place honors, known as awards of excellence, in two video categories.
A video about HSTA’s 2024 teaching excellence award winner Hope McKeen took first place in the Video: Feature Story category.
In the External Video category, HSTA earned first place for the video called “Maui lawyer, volunteer photographer wins HSTA’s 2024 Friend of Youth award.” HSTA also won first place in the Internal Video: Short Form category for a video entitled “Vote for friends of education this general election.”
In the Internal Video: Long Form category, HSTA won an award of distinction, which is an honorable mention, for “Memories, wisdom and advice from HSTA’s early leaders,” a recorded keynote address from three retired union activists played for teachers statewide on Institute Day. HSTA’s video unveiling its new doubled-hulled canoe logo last fall won first place in the Video: News Story category.
Other HSTA awards of excellence
Design: Graphic elements
HSTA unveils new double-hulled canoe logo
Digital: Social Media Strategy & Use
HSTA Instagram page
Interdisciplinary Excellence
Hanohano Hawaiʻi unveiled
Publications: Membership Materials
Welcome to the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association!
The team also took home first place for the Interdisciplinary Excellence category for its work on Hanohano Hawaiʻi, spearheaded by Terri Inefuku, former HSTA Communications Specialist who now serves as the digital content director at Hawaiʻi News Now.
At the same annual conference in May, HSTA Director of Communications Keoki Kerr won the prestigious 2025 Bill Guy PR Person of the Year award. The award recognizes excellence in public relations and honors an individual who is a tireless advocate for public education.
Kerr said, “These awards are a tribute to the fine work of our talented communications staff, along with everyone at HSTA, from our teacher leaders and managers to our UniServ directors, specialists, and secretaries.”
HSTA’s Communications team, featured photo from left: Keoki Kerr, Director of Communications; Chris Schubert, Media Specialist; Jill Meinecke, Communications Specialist.