At this year’s American Advertising (ADDY) Awards celebration for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Lansing chapter, students in MSU’s Graphic Design program took home two Gold, three Silver, and two Bronze ADDY Awards. In the professional competition, MSU’s College of Arts & Letters Marketing Office received a Mosaic Award as well as one Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze ADDY Awards.
Hope Bennethum, a senior Graphic Design major, received two Gold ADDYs for the two projects she submitted. Those projects include a complete rebrand of Campbell’s Market Basket in East Lansing, which she worked on during the Fall 2023 semester as part of a Graphic Design class, and an interactive app design called Yooper Bingo that focuses on the Upper Peninsula, which she designed and prototyped in an interaction design course during the Fall 2023 semester. A Gold ADDY is the highest an entry can win within a category.
“I feel so honored and grateful to have won anything from the ADDYs,” Bennethum said. “I have closely followed the ADDY Awards since I started studying Graphic Design at MSU, and I’ve looked up to the previous students who have won Gold Awards.”
This was not Bennethum’s first time competing in the ADDY competition. During her sophomore year, she won a Silver ADDY for her work.
“Being recognized in the student competition of the AAF Lansing Advertising Awards is a great achievement for our young designers as it indicates the creative work of our students within the Graphic Design program of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design is exceptional and further establishes that our students are well on their way to make an impact in the creative industries as they graduate and enter the profession,” said Chris Corneal, Associate Professor of Graphic Design.
Bennethum encourages other students to participate in the competition.
“You have to believe in yourself and believe in the work that you’re making,” she said. “Trust your personal creative process and vision and know that your skill level will continue to improve.”
Bennethum has not yet committed to a post-graduation job yet, but she is excited to see what the future holds.
“You have to believe in yourself and believe in the work that you’re making. Trust your personal creative process and vision and know that your skill level will continue to improve.”
Hope Bennethum, 2024 Gold ADDY Award Winner
“My plans for the future are to continue creating work that brings me joy and allows me to feel creatively fulfilled,” she said. “Winning two ADDYs will help me prepare for that as I now have more confidence in my work and can better advocate for myself and my design abilities.”
Earning a Gold ADDY in the professional competition in the Film/Video/Sound – Branded Content category was the “Black Horror: Who is the Monster?” video produced by MSU’s College of Arts & Letters Marketing Office. That video also won a Mosaic Award, which honors a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through creative work that distinguishes itself by amplifying underrepresented communities with depth and authenticity.
The American Advertising Awards allow students and professionals to showcase their advertising work and compete in different categories. The awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types.
The 2024 AAF Lansing chapter ADDY Awards celebration took place on Feb. 22 at the MSU Federal Credit Union Community Room.
“Being recognized in the student competition of the AAF Lansing Advertising Awards is a great achievement for our young designers as it indicates the creative work of our students within the Graphic Design program of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design is exceptional.”
“This year’s competition was judged by a prestigious panel of creative industry professionals from all over the world who recognized entries from our students as especially meritorious, awarding these student projects Gold ADDYs and thereby automatically moving these projects to the next level of competition at the district level that will include the best student work from Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana,” Corneal said. “From there, any student work recognized with a Gold Award at Districts will automatically move on to the highest level of competition at the National American Advertising Awards of the American Advertising Federation. My colleagues in the Graphic Design program and I are very proud that it has become a tradition over recent years to have our students competing for awards at the national level and I look forward to seeing this year’s winners continue this distinguishing trend.”
The following is a list of all the ADDY Awards received by students and staff of the College of Arts & Letters:
Student ADDY Award Winners
Gold
- Hope Bennethum – Campbell’s Market Campaign
- Hope Bennethum – Yooper App
Silver
- Emelia Rush and Melissa Utankyski – MI Great Booklet
- Halle White – Huh? Book
- Caiyin Liang – Nature Myth Typeface
Bronze
- Samauria Kelly – Steps Ahead Campaign
- Rageon Thomas – Social Class App
Professional ADDY Award Winners
These are the awards won by MSU’s College of Arts & Letters Marketing Office:
Mosaic
- Film/Video/Sound Branded Content – Black Horror: Who is the Monster?
Gold
- Film/Video/Sound Branded Content – Black Horror: Who is the Monster?
Silver
- Film/Video/Sound Branded Content – How Can AI Support Writing?
- Branded Content and Entertainment Campaign – Ask the Expert: Faculty Research
Bronze
- Film/Video/Sound Branded Content – Building a Legacy for Black Studies
- Direct marketing > direct mail > 3D / Mixed – Lighting the Way – Donor Gift
