On June 3rd five teams of high school students pitched the advertising campaigns they had developed to a panel of advertising professionals and faculty at the second annual Loyalist College AdSTARS Competition. The competition is held in conjunction with advertising industry partner They Integrated Inc. and is sponsored by QuintEssential Credit Union. The students’ challenge was to create a public service campaign that utilizes a range of media channels including radio, posters and online. A total of 15 teams entered the competition. The finalists included three teams from Prince Edward Collegiate Institute (PECI) and one from each of Centennial Secondary School and Fenelon Falls Secondary School.
The winners of this year’s AdSTARS Competition were Eric Gladu, Melanie Tugwood, Andrea Heuving, Graydon VanDyke and Alex Tait from PECI. Each member of the winning team received $1,000 toward tuition at Loyalist College and $300 from QuintEssential Credit Union. The second place team members were Jillian Dyke, Calvin Jikeli, Joel Owens, Mike Sokolowsky and Kane Rutgers from PECI. Each of these team members received $100 from QuintEssential Credit Union.
“This competition allows students to stretch beyond the walls of their classroom into the real world of advertising,” said Rick Chesworth, Coordinator of the Loyalist Advertising program. “They can experience the competitive atmosphere, which is very much a part of the advertising industry, while applying their creativity and imagination to an interesting, relevant communication challenge. It is a perfect way for high school students to be inventive, gain recognition and explore an exciting career direction.”
“We were thrilled and proud to have three of our five PECI teams make it to the finals,” said PECI teacher Rob Garden. “This is an opportunity for the students to take their curriculum-based learning and put it into a real world context. I’m very impressed with the link that Loyalist has with the local high schools. It is an important collaboration that is beneficial to our students and the College. I was very glad to see that the AdSTARS Competition was being offered again this year.”
“The AdSTARS competition creates an invaluable connection between our industry and the marketers and advertisers of tomorrow by introducing today’s high school students to a very real-life industry scenario,” said Shawn Patriquin, President of They Integrated Inc. “Students who participated in this contest will have a competitive advantage when they decide to pursue a post-secondary education and ultimately a career in marketing and advertising. I was more than impressed with the strategy, creativity and presentations by all participants in this year’s competition.”
Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332; e-mail: mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca or Rick Chesworth, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2327