AC Student Media wins Gold, Special Judges Award
Amarillo College Student Media brought home top honors once again this year at the Amarillo chapter of the American Advertising Federation’s 2026 Advertising Awards on Feb. 20.
“The Current,” AC’s student-produced magazine, won a Gold ADDY award and a Special Judges Award for its fall 2024 edition.
According to the American Advertising Federation, a Gold ADDY recognizes the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in its category.
“I was so surprised I was even getting an award in the first place. For it to be Gold, plus a Special Judges Award made it the best night ever,” Valerie Salas, AC graduate and former editor-in-chief of “The Current” magazine. “While the awards were the main part of the night, I really enjoyed networking and getting to meet people who design as a profession.”
AC Student Media advisers, Maddisun Fowler, John Brixen and Brian Frank all agreed that this recognition highlights the quality of work produced by “The Current” staff.
“In this particular contest, student entries are actually judged using the same parameters as the professional ones, so I’m incredibly proud of the way our students continue to raise the bar,” Fowler said. “Winning a Gold ADDY is always an honor, but the fact that our students also received a Special Judges Award is especially meaningful. It shows that our students didn’t just meet the judges’ expectations, they exceeded them.”
Brixen said that many of the students who worked on the award-winning issue have since graduated and are working in the industry, or have transferred to four-year universities.
“It brings me much joy to see the hard work and dedication the student staff members put into that Fall 2024 issue of “The Current” magazine. They came together and created a great body of work they should be proud of. Winning gold and receiving the special judges award is no easy task to be earned at the ADDYs,” Brixen said.
Frank said he loves when students are recognized for their work. “It can really help to give them something to draw upon when they put so much effort into these projects.”
“The Current” is typically published once a semester and focuses on arts and media in the community. However, the fall 2024 issue hit stands later than usual due to production delays. Each semester, the editor and staff take a different direction with stories and design.
Other staff members for the fall 2024 Current were Mia Flores, Nick Garcia, Alejandra Garcia, Lupita Lupercio, Foster Conner, Raina Burusnukul and William Nies.
All Gold ADDY winners at the local level automatically advance to district competition, where Amarillo College Student Media will compete against other top entries from across the region.