The 2024 MACE Excellence Awards, held in Cape Town on 28 November, celebrated excellence in marketing, advancement and communication in South Africa’s higher education sector, with a total of 158 awards handed out to 19 higher education institutions.

The MACE Excellence Awards ceremony takes place annually during the MACE National Conference, recognising and celebrating excellence and the achievements of specialists and practitioners in marketing, advancement and communication in the higher education sector.

This year, a record 293 entries were received from 19 institutions. The Awards Ceremony saw 74 Bronze Awards, 58 Silver Awards, 23 Gold Awards and 3 Platinum Awards of Excellence handed out.

MACE (Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education) has played a leadership role in the higher education sector within Southern Africa by enhancing the work of practitioners in marketing, advancement and communication since the early 1980s. Since adopting its current name in 2008, MACE has grown in leaps and bounds, now drawing an average of 282 delegates from universities, TVET institutions and private education institutions to its annual conference and awards ceremony.

Stellenbosch University led the pack in 2024, winning 36 MACE Excellence Awards for various marketing, advancement and communication campaigns during the year-long eligibility window. The University of Pretoria and University of Fort Hare came in second and third with 23 and 17 wins respectively.

The University of Cape Town won the Chairperson’s Award – for a single entry that embodies true excellence in marketing, advancement or communication – for its ‘Restoring dignity: Sutherland Reburial’ project.

The University of the Free State won the MACE Award for Outstanding Research for its ‘KovsieX – Digital Student Experience’ campaign and claimed the Severus Cerff Award for Consistent Excellence, which goes to the institution with the highest success ratio.

North-West University and the Universities of Johannesburg and Pretoria each won a Platinum Award for the highest-scoring entries in a division.

“The awards programme goes beyond just giving recognition to excellent work,” said Lacea Loader, MACE Excellence Awards Coordinator. “It has had a significant impact on the career growth of many marketing, advancement and communication professionals in the tertiary education sector. The programme’s entry guidelines are rooted in global best practices for planning and implementing communication projects and initiatives. Through the awards programme, entrants are given the opportunity to evaluate their communication competence against global best practices.”

Entries are evaluated by a panel of expert evaluators comprising senior marketing, advancement and communication professionals hand-picked from tertiary institutions, commerce and industry.

Entries with points above the set thresholds receive Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards, with other prizes including the Chairperson’s Award of Excellence, the MACE Award for Outstanding Research, and the Severus Cerff Award for Consistent Excellence.

See the MACE Facebook page for photos from the 2024 MACE National Conference and Excellence Awards.

View the complete list of MACE Excellence Award winners here.