Superior Awards recognize superior student work

A group of students were honored for their exceptional advertising and public relations work outside of the classroom during the third annual Superior Awards April 14.

Named after Lake Superior Hall on Grand Valley’s Allendale Campus, the awards recognize “superior” student work from the School of Communications advertising and public relations programs (APR).

Local Grand Rapids communications, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals judged student work ranging from television and magazine advertisements, to billboards and advertising campaigns.

Student work was judged on a variety of criteria, including content, creativity and quality.

Advertising winners include:

Single Television Advertisement: Melissa Brink, Carly Johnson
Single Magazine Advertisement: Kyle Flannery, Georgia Madison
Single Billboard Advertisement: Spencer Walker
Advertising Campaign: Daniel Goubert, Ashley Handy, Georgia Madison
Strategy Based Media Plan: Melissa Brink, Zach Salisburg
Cost Based Media Plan: Mark Engstrom

Public relations winners include:

Public Relations Case Study: Kayla Foster, Lindsey VanDenBoom, Nichole Wood, Kelsey Martin, Jailyn Glass
Public Relations Campaign: Lindsey VanDenBoom, Nichole Wood

Hunter Zuk and Emelie Milnikel were also awarded for their work in the APA paper category, which required students to submit a paper written in APA format.

Madison, a sophomore advertising major, said she submitted her work just for fun to see what kind of professional feedback she could receive, but did not expect to win any awards.

“Being recognized for your hard work outside of the classroom is an awesome experience for students,” Madison said. “Now when I’m applying for jobs, I have something that may stand out a little more, which I think many students wish to achieve during their time here at Grand Valley.”

For more information about the Superior Awards, visit https://www.gvsu.edu/soc/superior-awards-143.htm.