Houston, Texas, May 21, 2025 – Houston Christian University (HCU) earned top honors in two highly competitive categories at the 2025 Crystal Awards held on May 15 at the 713 Music Hall, a prestigious venue in Downtown Houston. The University took home the winning award in the Advertising Photography category and was selected as a finalist in the Annual Report category.
Each year, the Crystal Awards spotlight the individuals, agencies and organizations whose campaigns demonstrate creativity, strategic thinking and measurable success.
The theme for the 2025 awards program, “Impact,” emphasized the lasting legacy and influence of marketing efforts—honoring work that not only drives results but also contributes meaningfully to the community and leaves a lasting mark on the industry.
A panel of judges—comprised of recognized leaders in marketing, communications, PR, market research, digital marketing, and social media from outside the Houston area—evaluated each entry based on its effectiveness in addressing five criteria: the situation or challenge, objectives, strategies and tactics, message alignment and results.
HCU Creative Director, Michael Tims, submitted the winning photo, which was originally featured in the Winter issue of The Pillars, HCU’s official news magazine, in a story highlighting HCU’s Grace Hopper scholarship recipients, titled “Making Dreams Come True.”
Tims set out to capture a visually arresting image that would symbolize the integration of technology and identity in modern education. Overcoming significant technical challenges and equipment limitations, he brought the image to life by projecting lines of code across the face and body of Seth Kamata, a computer programming student and one of HCU’s inaugural Grace Hopper scholarship recipients, to immerse him in his field of study.
“When I learned that HCU had won the Crystal Award for Advertising Photography, I was truly surprised. Being named a finalist among such talented competition was already an achievement, but to actually receive this prestigious recognition is both encouraging and humbling,” said Tims.
He expressed appreciation to Assistant Vice President of Marketing Cary Delmark for encouraging him to enter the competition and Edwin Nwokeabia, an HCU cybersecurity major and marketing intern with a passion for photography, for playing an important role in bringing the visual concept to life.
Not only did the photo garner a first place win in this year’s Crystal Awards but the image quickly became one of the University’s most versatile and effective marketing assets which has been displayed in billboard campaigns, scholarship promotions, recruitment materials, and on social media to highlight the transformative power of education.
HCU’s selection as a finalist for its 2024 President’s Annual Report submission underscores its dedication to excellence in strategic messaging, cohesive design, and its ability to communicate institutional impact to key stakeholders. The report effectively showcased the University’s achievements, priorities, and forward momentum, reinforcing the values of transparency, progress and student-centered growth.
“I was thrilled to learn that the annual report was considered a finalist for a Crystal Award. Expectations were high for that publication; there was input from many stakeholders to consider and contributions from many departments to highlight.
“But I was even more excited to see Mike Tims’ photograph on the big screen at the awards dinner as they announced HCU won in the photography category. The awards competition is very competitive, and the entries were very good, so it is rewarding to receive this recognition,” said Delmark.
The dual honors received in this year’s competition affirm HCU’s leadership in creative and strategic communications—and the University’s dedication to telling stories that resonate, inspire and showcase creativity and a commitment to excellence.
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About Houston Christian University
For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose. The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.