University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Journalism and Mass Communications students won ten awards for outstanding creative work during the American Advertising Federation's annual Creative Nebraska Awards on Feb. 28. Students won three silver ADDYs, three gold ADDYs, three judges citations and best of show in the student division.
Creative work is entered in one of two categories: Professional or Student. The latter is intended to recognize creative excellence by those interested in future advertising careers. Entries are submitted to the local AAF chapter, where they're scored by a panel of judges.
Best of show went to "Kraft-Level Up with The Big Cup." It also won a gold ADDY in the consumer campaign category and a judge's citation.
The following students, listed alphabetically by last name with their year in school, major(s), role and hometown, contributed to the project:
Bridget Gerards: senior, advertising and public relations, copywriter, Omaha
Phoebe Lyons: junior, advertising and public relations, copywriter, Geneva, Illinois
Elise Moulton: junior, advertising and public relations, art director, Omaha
Kamryn Snyder: junior, advertising and public relations, art director, Lincoln
Five students enrolled in Communication Design were awarded a gold ADDY in the TV advertising category for "First Day Vinyl." The following students, listed alphabetically by last name with their year in school, major(s) and hometown, contributed to the project:
Jaxson Beck: junior, broadcasting, Lincoln
Anastasiia Chanh: junior, architectural studies, Grand Island
Aaron De La Torre III: junior, advertising and public relations, Omaha
Dixon Janney: freshman, broadcasting, Lincoln
Abby McFarland: sophomore, sports media and communication, Fort Collins, Colorado
The Communication Design course sequence teaches students how to use a wide variety of software and equipment. For Kaci Richter, communication design coordinator and associate professor of practice, the most essential part of the classes is what students create with that knowledge.
"These students thought about design and audience, then used their knowledge of shooting and editing to create a short, beautifully shot, compelling ad," Richter said. "I am so impressed with this team."
Mackenzie Modde, a 2024 MArch graduate from Lincoln, received a gold ADDY in the animation category and a judges citation for "DesignIt" and senior Maddie Hansen, an advertising and public relations and journalism double major from Omaha, was awarded a silver ADDY in animation for "Spotify."
CoJMC masters program student Parvis Jamalov of Dushanbe, Tajikistan won a silver ADDY and a judges citation for "The Heart behind the Badge," and 2024 graduate LeAnne Bugay of Bellevue and senior advertising and public relations major Ella Masso of Shoreview, Minnesota won a silver ADDY for "Dr. Martens-The Platform" in the magazine ad category.
The local awards are the first step in gaining entry to the national AAF competition. Gold awards are automatically submitted to the district competition; silver awards are also eligible. District winners move on to the national competition.
To learn more about AAF's Creative Nebraska Awards, visit https://www.creativenebraska.org.
