Florida A&M University (FAMU) received multiple honors at the 2026 American Advertising Awards, known as the ADDYs, organized by the American Advertising Federation North Central Florida chapter. The university collected five awards, while students and faculty from its School of Journalism and Graphic Communication (SJGC) earned an additional seven.
“Florida A&M University is incredibly proud to be recognized alongside our professional and collegiate peers for excellence in branded content, magazine advertising, online collateral, and other marketing initiatives,” said Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Alonda Thomas, Ph.D. “This prestigious honor from the American Advertising Federation is a powerful affirmation of the artistry, strategy, and passion behind our work to elevate FAMU’s brand on a national stage. We are excited to continue to ‘Strike Boldly’ with innovative campaigns that captivate audiences, amplify our story, and reflect the brilliance of our University community.”
The ADDYs are considered one of the largest advertising competitions in the United States. They operate on three levels: local, district, and national. Local winners advance to compete regionally before potentially reaching the national competition.
Among FAMU’s recognitions was a Local Gold ADDY for its 2025 Homecoming: Eternal World Tour website in the online/interactive category. The university also won a Local Silver ADDY for its 2025 Hype Video under Film, Video & Sounds – Branded Content & Entertainment Online Single; another Silver went to its Drum Major magazine ad in Print Advertising.
Additionally, FAMU collaborated with azure77—a creative marketing firm owned by alumnus Charles Collins III—on two projects that each received Local Gold ADDYs: one for Cross Platform Integrated Branded Content (Homecoming 2025 campaign), and another for Sales & Marketing Publication Design (College of Agriculture and Food Sciences Summer 2025 Magazine).
Vice President of University Advancement Brandi Tatum-Fedrick commented on these achievements: “This recognition from the American Advertising Awards reflects the creativity, innovation, and storytelling excellence of the talented Florida A&M University team and partners, including our students, whose vision and collaboration helped bring this award-winning campaign to life and showcase the unmatched power of FAMU,” she said. “Homecoming is one of our most treasured traditions, and the Eternal World Tour experience captured the spirit, energy, and legacy of FAMU in a way that resonated far beyond our campus.”
Students from SJGC were recognized across several categories. Jordan Richardson earned a Student Gold ADDY Award for illustration work titled Peachy-A Self Promo Ad. Andrew Watson won Student Gold for his integrated brand identity campaign Your Shoes Your Story for Nike. John Dehaarte took home both Student Gold (for Drawing Out Voices for Autism) in print advertising/magazine campaigns as well as Student Silver in illustration for related work.
Nabrea Hardy was awarded Student Gold in illustration for Divine Comedy: An Upside-Down Comic. Additionally, Andrew Watson joined Ashton Johnson and Jordan Barber to win Student Silver in publication design/magazine for Journey Magazine: Politics Issue.
A collaborative effort between SJGC professors Anosh Gill and Kenneth Jones with student Nabrea Hardy and recent graduate Luis Arriaga resulted in a Local Silver ADDY Award supporting Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts through an MFA student movie poster project.
“Seeing our students and faculty shine with AAF North Central Florida honors underscores FAMU’s strength in cultivating top creative talent — from visual communication to branding — across Florida and the nation,” said SJGC Dean Mira Lowe.
Local Gold winners will now move forward into district-level competition against other local clubs; district victors proceed to compete nationally at later stages.
