AAF holds ADDYs

Liberty students received a total of 20 gold and 20 silver ADDY awards at the official award ceremony of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Advertising Awards Competition at the Patrick Henry Ballroom in Roanoke, Va. Saturday, Feb. 22.

Liberty won more gold awards than all other univerisites at the event combined, according to Todd Smith, chair of the Studio and Digital Arts (SADA) department.

Radford University won five gold and 14 silver ADDYs, Virginia Tech recieved three gold and one silver ADDY, and Lynchburg College brought home five gold and eight silver ADDYs, according to Smith.

win — (Left to right) Breann Black, Gabriella Fuller and Abigail Bock attended. Photo provided

Win — (Left to right) Breann Black, Gabriella Fuller and Abigail Bock attended. Photo provided

There are 12 total categories in which students may submit their design work, and 47 subcategories, according to the AAF website. The competitions take place in 161 locations across the nation, one in the Virgin Islands and one in the West Indies.

Smith said Liberty won 11 awards for collateral material, three for consumer of trade publication, five for digital advertising, one for direct marketing, 15 for elements of advertising, one for non-traditional advertising and four for sales promotion.

According to the AAF website, applicants must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. educational institution in order to participate in the competition.

Each submission costs a total of $10, but there is a corporate sponsor encouraging new talent that helps subsidize the student costs, according to Monique Maloney, Liberty University assistant professor of studio and digital arts (SADA).

According to the AAF’s Web page, tickets were free to students receiving awards but cost up to $65 for additional guests wanting to attend the ceremony.

Liberty advertising student Charissa Cox submitted three different designs and won an ADDY award for all three, including two silvers and one gold.

“I was stunned when they announced that I won one award, let alone three,” Cox said. “I’m still in shock, but feel incredibly blessed by each award.

It truly is a gift that I feel that God has given me, and I am so humbled by this whole experience.”

The Advertising Awards Competition is one of three tiers — local, regional and national, according to Maloney.

“AAF is a respected organization,” Maloney said. “Winners get to add their awards to their résumés and portfolios. In a competitive field, showing that they have taken the initiative to put themselves out there and are being recognized by industry professionals says a lot. It proved that their work is great and that they work hard.”

When asked about inspiration and encouragement from professors and peers throughout the whole experience, Cox explained how Stacey Cannon, assistant professor of SADA and SADA assessment coordinator, as well as Maloney, have been an encouragement to her.

According to Cox, Cannon was the person who first encouraged her to enter her design work into the Advertising Awards Competition, and Maloney opened Cox’s eyes to how big of a deal the entire completion is.

“How we, as students, perform also speaks volumes about the professors themselves,” Cox said. “God has placed incredibly talented and caring professors here at Liberty. The kind of professors they are influences the work and enthusiasm the students have for design. I could not be more thankful or blessed to be a part of this program.”

According to the AAF’s website, Liberty has experienced success at the competition in previous years as well. In 2013, Jacob Siner won gold at the national student ADDY awards for his poster designs.

For more information on the AAF and the opportunities they provide, visit their website at aaf.org or the American Advertising Awards page at americanadvertisingawards.com.

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