By Caroline Pritchard
The Temerlin Advertising Institute is celebrating numerous students who have been recognized by prestigious advertising competitions such as the Dallas Society of Visual Communications National Student Show & Conference, the Society of Publication Design Student Competition, the American Advertising Federation Student Awards and more.
Some ceremonies remain online this year, but it has nevertheless been a successful awards season, proving that Temerlin students continue to stand apart. “We are tied with last year in terms of the number of awards that we’ve won, but we’re not even halfway through the year yet,” says Senior Lecturer Mark Allen.
Allen attributes the success to Temerlin’s exceptionally smart students, as well as the program’s balanced approach. “We focus first and foremost on the concept. The work we are looking for isn’t just eye candy,” he says. “It has to have something smart and strategic behind it, and we also push our students in the area of craftsmanship.”
Students are still waiting to hear back on some competitions, including the Communication Arts Advertising Annual Competition. Several Temerlin students have already made the shortlist of that organization’s Design Annual Competition. Overall, Allen is very optimistic. “I fully expect that this will be our most successful year ever in the awards space,” he says.
This year’s successes also include four wins at the American Advertising Federation Student Awards — the national ADDY Awards — which will be covered in a separate blog post. But continue reading to learn more about some of the student work that caught judges’ eyes at other top competitions this year.
Big Wins at the DSVC National Student Show & Conference
Five Temerlin students had work accepted into this year’s National Student Show & Conference, hosted online in April. “That’s a big deal on its own,” says Allen.
The results were even more remarkable. Temerlin nearly swept the “best of” advertising categories, won two special awards, and took home a total of $1,600 in prize money.
“Even though everything was virtual this year, the show was incredible,” Allen says. “In fact, it didn’t feel like a student show at all—a sentiment that was echoed by several professionals on the jury this year.”
Tupperware Logo — Maria Archundia
Accepted Into Show
Maria Archundia was recognized for her smart and simple Tupperware logo. “The National Student Show is a fiercely competitive, design-centric venue that attracts top four-year graphic design programs from across the country,” Allen says. “The fact that Maria got her Tupperware logo into one of the most difficult categories in the entire show as a graphic design minor speaks volumes about her and our small-but-mighty program.” Archundia was recently hired as an art director at Dieste, an agency in Dallas.
Nair for Men Campaign — Ethan Rios
Accepted Into Show
Rios entered Temerlin last year as an aspiring art director, but recently it’s his copywriting that has made waves. When Allen saw Rios’ campaign for Nair for Men, he immediately knew the headlines were what made it special. “I told him, ‘I know you think of yourself as an art director, but I really think you should enter this in more than one category,’” Allen recalls. “It’s so funny and well written.”
Gabb Wireless Campaign — Helen Cheever
Best of Category: Copywriting ($200 Prize)
Helen Cheever’s campaign for Gabb Wireless’ streamlined, kid-friendly phones speaks powerfully to protective parents with headlines like “Sometimes, parents want less for their kids.” What makes it even more impressive is that it’s the first campaign she ever produced. “Copywriting is a specialized skill that usually takes several semesters to hone,” Allen says.
Cholula Hot Sauce Campaign — Sam Zimmerman
Best of Category: Out of Home ($200 Prize)
Zimmerman had a simple but intriguing idea for a Cholula campaign: Bold flavor stands out. Intriguing enough that commercial photographer Stewart Cohen offered to shoot it for him. “This campaign pushed me out of my stock photo comfort zone and allowed me the experience of the planning and work that goes into executing and producing a campaign,” Zimmerman says, calling it his best experience at Temerlin to date. Cohen later invited him to work as his photography assistant, giving Zimmerman a taste of what it’s like to work for real clients.
23andMe Digital Campaign — Meredith Welborn and Luke Lockwood
Best of Category: Video/Commercial ($200 Prize)
Best Use of Paper sponsored by Lindenmeyer Monroe Paper ($500 Prize)
Colossal Innovation Award ($500 Prize)
This creative digital commercial campaign used strips of paper and stop motion animation to illustrate how DNA testing reveals personal history. The creators are art director Meredith Welborn and copywriter Luke Lockwood, who were both advanced portfolio students.
“It’s the first time I’m aware of that an advertising campaign has won Best Use of Paper,” Allen says. “This was the award we went nuts over. We just couldn’t believe it because that award always goes to a really high-end graphic design piece like a packaging or book design project.”
While the concept for the 23andMe campaign took months to refine, the actual commercials came together in just a few weeks. “It was a Hail Mary,” Welborn says. “I shot all the photos on the ground with a makeshift tripod and backdrop made from a Post-it easel over Thanksgiving break while I was in California. It really showed me that you don’t need a studio or fancy equipment to create a great ad. It’s all about the idea.
“I feel extremely grateful to have gone through the creative program at SMU,” she continues. “Most people have to go to a separate portfolio school to learn what we learn during undergrad.”
Welborn and Lockwood graduated in May; Welborn is currently interning at BBDO New York, and Lockwood is returning to SMU in the fall to pursue a graduate degree in finance.
See both commercials here and here.
Communication Arts Design Annual Competition: Three Temerlin Students Make the Shortlist
Current Temerlin student Sarah Scambray and recent graduates Anna Rose Corell, Rani Vestal and Maria Archundia made the shortlist for the Communication Arts Design Annual Competition. “This is one of the premier award venues for design,” Allen says.
Archundia once again received recognition for her sleek Tupperware logo, while the other students were acknowledged for book designs. Scambray’s design was for DIVORCED BEHEADED DIED DIVORCED BEHEADED SURVIVED: The Truth About the Wives of King Henry VIII, and Corell and Vestal collaborated on a design for Darkness. Finalists will be announced at the end of this year.
After graduating in May, Corell was hired as a copywriter at The Richards Group in Dallas. Vestal, who graduated in 2020, recently accepted a position as a designer at Paperwhite-Studio in New York.
Applied Arts Magazine Student Awards Competition: Temerlin Breaks Into Publication
For the first time, Temerlin students will be published in Applied Arts magazine. Anna Rose Corell, Rani Vestal and Sarah Scambray received awards for publication design, while Meredith Welborn and Luke Lockwood won for their 23andMe digital campaign. The annual competition is based in Canada and the magazine will come out in November or December.
Allen explains one of the things that makes this honor so special. “Back when I graduated, one of the coolest things was that a lot of award-winning work still got printed in magazines that people could buy,” he says. “There are so few print magazines anymore, but Applied Arts is one of the hold-outs.”
Publication Design Student Competition: Sarah Scambray Takes Third Place
In another Temerlin first, a student has placed in the winner’s circle of this highly competitive international contest judged by representatives of esteemed publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Variety, Fast Company and Cosmopolitan. Graphic design minor Sarah Scambray won third place for her spread featuring professional basketball player James Harden and his signature beard—it’s the same one that will appear in Applied Arts magazine later this year.
“This was one of my favorite projects, mostly because the subject matter presented so many fun possibilities,” Scambray says. “When I found out I received third place I was very surprised and ecstatic—it’s always an honor to have your work validated, especially in a creative industry where everything is so subjective.” Scambray is currently interning as an art director at Slingshot in Dallas.
One Club for Creativity Young Ones Competition: Temerlin Well Represented on Jury, and 23andMe Wins Merit Award
In March, the One Club for Creativity announced the jury for its student Young Ones competition. The jury included Allen, as well as Temerlin alumni Morgan Hoff, Greg Peterson, Helen Rieger, Sofia Rosell, Tanner Thompson and Gabe Towles. Allen points out that these graduates are all under 30 years old, but have already won awards for their work for major brands.
“Morgan Hoff graduated in 2017. But she has already produced Super Bowl commercials for Snickers. Top commercials that everybody is talking about,” Allen says. “Some of these students have only been out of school three or four years, so it’s quite impressive that they were asked to be judges in a competition at this level.” Competition results were announced in June, and the 23andMe campaign by Meredith Welborn and Luke Lockwood won a “Merit” award.
Lürzer’s International Archive: Kong Dog Toys Campaign Nominated for Student of the Year Award
Temerlin alumni Kell Klopp ’20 and Megan Cruikshank ’19 were nominated for the Lürzer’s International Archive Student of the Year Award for their campaign for rubber dog toy manufacturer Kong. “There are tough questions in life that no one may ever be able to answer, which we connected to the durability of Kong toys,” Cruikshank says. The result is an illustrated campaign featuring philosophical dog-thoughts and the clever tagline “That’s a lot to chew on.” “It’s just a fun and light-hearted campaign that’s hard not to like,” Allen says.
2021 Temerlin Awards Honor Star Students
At the end of the school year, faculty gathered to vote on the students who stood out among all three Temerlin disciplines: Creative, Digital Media Strategy and Strategic Brand Management. One student whom Allen was particularly impressed by this year is Zainab Noshahi (creative), who received Temerlin’s Social Impact Award.
“This is an award that goes to somebody who, both on campus and off campus, makes a contribution from a social responsibility perspective,” he says. “Over the past year, Zainab started a group that helps students navigate the complexities of being a student of color at SMU, and specifically within the advertising industry.”
See the full list of winners honored at the May 5 ceremony below.
- Outstanding Academic Achievement in Digital Media Strategy – Hannah Sung
- Outstanding Academic Achievement in Creative Advertising – Sophie Vos
- Outstanding Academic Achievement in Strategic Brand Management – Molly Mosby
- Outstanding Graduate Student – Hillery Lemon
- Outstanding Graphic Design Minor – Daniel Heard
- Donald John Carty Leadership Award – Ankita Padarthy
- The award and stipend are presented to a graduating student in recognition of leadership in the classroom, the Temerlin Advertising Institute, and beyond.
- TAI Anchor Award – Anna Rose Corell
- Given to a student who consistently “pulls more than his/her weight” in bringing projects to fruition.
- TAI Optimizer Award – Abigail Norton
- Given to a student who demonstrates a desire and aptitude to make work better through superior work strategies and iteration.
- TAI Social Impact Award – Zainab Noshahi
- Given to a student who exemplifies aspects of social responsibility in their advertising work and beyond.
- TAI Resilience Award – Molly Mosby
- Given to a student who deals effectively with project setbacks while maintaining a positive attitude and demonstrating a resolve to produce outstanding work.
- TAI Service Award – Kathryn Chavez
- Given to a student who renders substantial service to the campus at large as well as in the greater community.
- TAI Team Player Award – Preston Riley
- Given to a student in recognition of contributions to team projects and activities.
- Face of TAI Award – Meredith Welborn
- Given to a student who represents the best of what the Temerlin Advertising Institute is meant to be within Meadows, SMU and/or the advertising industry.
