The ISU Foundation received a national “Best of Show” for its 1996-97 annual report in the 13th Annual Admissions Advertising Awards this summer.

Headed by Dalene Abner, director of public relations, a team of foundation staff members produced the report.

Of all the entries received in all of the categories, only 13 were chosen top in the competition and given “Best of Show” honors.

The ISU Foundation report was submitted to the category of Annual Reports of Universities with over 10,000 students. In this category, the report received the gold award, the only one given out, meaning it was top in its category.

The annual report profiled some of the very prominent donors to ISU with a theme of “When History and Hope Converge, the Past Generates the Future,” Abner said.

The report told about the select group of donors and what their contributions mean to the university, she said.

“It is a lot of text pulled into a theme with some financial reports,” she said.

The award-winning qualities for reports include theme, text, design, objectives and printing.

Abner got the idea to enter the ISU Foundation’s report from previous universities where she worked.

“I wanted to see how well our own report would compete,” she said.

Abner said she was surprised to win such high honors.

“This is the first ‘Best of Show’ I’ve ever won in my career,” she said. “I’m very proud to have received the award, and I’m glad Iowa State got the national recognition.”