The American Advertising Awards, or, ADDYs attracts more then 40,000 entries every year in local Ad Club competitions. According to its website, the ADDYs “recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.”

On Feb. 25, Madison held its ADDY Awards at Union South-Varsity Hall. The American Advertising Federation – Madison, or AAF – Madison, recognized the work of five Madison College students at this year’s event.

Awards presented were:

• Best of Show and Film, Video and Sound Award – Andy O’Connell, gold medal. To see Andy’s video, visit http://matcportfolio.com/Fall16/students/HTML/O’Connell_Andy.html
• Printed Annual Report or Brochure Award – Dana Kravitz, silver medal.
• Special Event Materials Award – Dana Kravitz and Eric Tomlinson, silver medal.
• Website Award – Julia Eagleburger, silver medal.
• Website Award – Emma Bohorfoush, silver medal.

According to its website, the ADDY Awards are a “unique national awards program designed specially for college students.”

If you submit work at your local level, it is possible that it could potentially be moved up to the regional and national judging, similar to the work entered by professionals across the country.  

Applicants of the ADDY Awards must be enrolled full- or part-time in an accredited U.S. educational institute or as a student intern.

The AAF – Madison is “committed to the development of the advertising, marketing and communications community in the greater Madison area.” They state that their members characterize a wide range of responsibilities within agencies, suppliers, corporations and other interested organizations.

Why are the ADDY Awards important? The AAF – Madison concludes, “a consumer cannot purchase a product if they don’t even know it exists. Ensuring those advertising messages remain ethical, targeted, entertaining, and accurate falls to those in the industry.”

So, think about the last product you bought – how did you know about it? Did you see it advertised on a commercial, radio ad, magazine or billboard? All of those sources are crucial for brands or businesses’ getting their name out to the public.
Interested in joining AAF – Madison? Go to http://www.aafmadison.org/join to see the Top 10 reasons they will help put someone’s talent to the test.