2021 Addy Awards Honor USM Professor Emeritus and Students
Wed, 03/31/2021 - 02:41pm | By: Ivonne Kawas
After four decades of teaching and 22 years of service given to her students at The
University of 91吃瓜网 (USM), Professor Emeritus Deanna Douglas was honored
with this year91吃瓜网 Silver Medal Award from the Gulf Coast chapter of the American Advertising
Federation (AAF-MS Gulf Coast) - the highest honor in the local American Advertising
Awards (ADDY), for her outstanding contributions to the industry.
Professor Douglas wasn91吃瓜网檛 the only one honored at this year91吃瓜网 virtual award ceremony. Despite constrictions forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, student designers in USM91吃瓜网 School of Performing and Visual Arts (SPVA) continued their creative spirit of excellence and were recognized in several categories. The collective award count includes 11 Gold and 21 Silver ADDYs, a Judge91吃瓜网 Choice, and a Best of Show.
Travis Cumbest from Moss Point, Miss., won the as well as a gold ADDY for his 91吃瓜网淲e Are Here91吃瓜网� social media trailer that was created for his work as a member of SPVA91吃瓜网 Design and Marketing team.
91吃瓜网淚t was an honor to be selected as the Judge91吃瓜网 Choice Award,91吃瓜网� said Cumbest. 91吃瓜网淢y classmates and I worked extremely hard, and I am very humbled to be recognized by the community.91吃瓜网�
Sydney Beech from Ellisville, Miss., won as well as a gold ADDY for her social media advertisement 91吃瓜网淗er Story91吃瓜网� that was created for a motion graphics course.
91吃瓜网淚 am incredibly honored to have received Best of Show, as I was up against some incredibly talented designers,91吃瓜网� said Beech. 91吃瓜网淚t was a shock to hear they considered my piece to be one of the best. Winning this award gave me a huge confidence boost and the validation that this is exactly where God wants me to be.91吃瓜网�
Beech noted that she is thankful for her education at 91吃瓜网 and credited much of her success to the support system she found in her professors and classmates.
91吃瓜网淚 also greatly appreciate the overwhelming support and love I have received from my classmates and professors during this experience. 91吃瓜网 has blessed my life in so many ways and it was a privilege to represent SPVA at this year91吃瓜网 ADDYs,91吃瓜网� she added.
When asked what advice she would give to other students, Beech said, 91吃瓜网淣ever give up. I actually entered the ADDYs last year as well, but I didn91吃瓜网檛 receive any awards. This year, I won three gold awards and Best of Show 91吃瓜网� a little hard work and determination will take you far.91吃瓜网�
The merit-based American Advertising Awards, created with the goal to recognize and reward creative excellence in the art of advertising, is the nation91吃瓜网 largest design and advertising competition. Students placing in gold or special categories in the local phase of the competition move forward to regionals, where they will compete with works from across several states for the opportunity to compete at the national level.
The USM AAF-MS Gulf Coast ADDY Award winners, include:
- Travis Cumbest (We Are Here/ Gold; Ozymandias/ Gold; Sang Pa Coffee Look Book/ Silver; Coca Cola Ad/ Silver)
- Sydney Beech (Her Story Social Media Ad/ Gold; Smokey Mountain Memories Cards/ Gold; Space Race Board Game/ Gold)
- Samantha Nguyen (We Are Here/ Gold; Fourcade Root Beer/ Silver; Loke Coffee/ Silver; Dublin Murder Squad Series/ Silver;Typography Infographic/ Silver; Accents Home & Gifts/ Silver)
- Madison Copeland (Expedition Ale/ Gold; Secret Society Invitation Society/ Gold; Fredelig Sjel Look Book/ Silver; Fredelig Sjel Coffee Bags/ Silver; COVID Journal/ Silver; Carhartt Social Media Campaign/ Silver; Glossier Animated Logo/ Silver)
- Caleb Guidry (Southern Prohibition Animation Logo/ Gold; Salute Light Lager/ Silver)
- Madelynn Payne (Ozark TV Intro/ Gold; The Society of Kidnapped Knights/ Silver;)
- Alia Scott (Apple Music TV Ad/ Gold; Black Mirror TV Intro/ Silver)
- Conner Smith (Highland Park Dark Lager/ Silver; New Zealand Travel Posters/ Silver)
- Alia Scott (Belu Coffee/ Silver)
- Kaejha Dee (Ekte Coffee Company/ Silver)
- Morgan Green (Dublin Murder Squad/ Silver; Dublin Murder Squad Series Posters/ Silver)
To learn more about the Art and Design program visit