From the Nominator

Pollinator research is essential to global food systems and environmental sustainability, but agricultural science stories rarely break through to broad public audiences. In summer 2025, a team from Michigan State University set out to elevate awareness of the university’s Pollinator Performance Center—a 15-acre campus facility advancing honeybee health, student education, and sustainable food production—by transforming complex research into a compelling, human-centered narrative. During early reporting, our team discovered one of the center’s stars: Maple, an English Springer Spaniel trained to detect honeybee diseases within hives. Recognizing Maple as an unexpected hook to deeper science storytelling, we built a visually driven feature that balanced emotional appeal with research that makes a clear impact. The story showcased Maple’s specialized work as well as MSU’s leadership in pollinator health, student learning opportunities, and campus-based honey production. The project was executed as an integrated effort across storytelling, visual media, social strategy, and public relations. High-impact photography and video assets were developed for cross-platform distribution, and media outreach was coordinated to amplify reach beyond alumni audiences. The results were exceptional. A single Facebook post about Maple reached more than 2.1 million users and generated over 49,000 engagements. The story earned more than 225 media placements, including coverage by the Associated Press and Washington Post. What began as a feature about a campus research center became a national conversation, expanding awareness of MSU’s pollinator science leadership and demonstrating how strategic storytelling can elevate complex research to a massive audience.

From the Judges

We loved the creativity and audience appeal of this story, especially the team’s willingness to follow the reporting where it led. The result was a charming, high-impact piece that demonstrated the value of getting into the field, recognizing unexpected (and exceptionally cute) story angles, and letting audience interest guide strong storytelling. The story’s viral moment was absolutely deserved.