TXST places third in AAF’s National Student Advertising Competition

Texas State University placed third in the national championship at the American Advertising Federation's (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition Finals, held May 28–31 in Austin. 

This year, 103 schools competed in the competition, which challenged students to create a fully integrated campaign for the National Football League. 

This marks the TXST program’s fourth top-three finish in national finals since 2020, making it one of most consistent stretches in the collegiate advertising competition. TXST won the national title in 2025 and finished runner-up in both 2020 and 2023. 

“Working on the NFL brand has been an incredible experience for our program and our students,” said Mike Devlin, Ph.D., TSUS Regents’ Teacher in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication who serves as the AAF chapter’s primary faculty advisor. “It’s been great to watch them gain real-world experience for a major brand. To be one of the top three schools in the country for a client like this speaks volumes about our AAF chapter and about Texas State.” 

In addition to placing third, the team also won the Lumie Award which is given to the team demonstrating the most interactive and creative application of concept testing using Lumiere, a test and measurement software service. 

TXST’s interdisciplinary team included students studying advertising, communication design and marketing from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the School of Art and Design and the McCoy College of Business. 

“The key to our program’s sustained success has been the way we approach integrated communications,” Devlin said. “We’ve been able to collaborate across colleges and bring in marketing and design students to create work an agency would be proud to showcase.” 

The team’s campaign, “Eyes Up,” addressed awareness of and participation in NFL youth programs including NFL Flag, NFL Play 60, and Character Playbook. The campaign used a familiar football coaching cue to encourage parents and children to look up from screens, connect through activity, and build confidence through NFL youth programs. 

Additional faculty advisors include Cimin Cohen, Sage Baker and Rick Wilson, Ph.D. Additional faculty support provided from Jenny Buschhorn, Clay Craig, Ph.D., Gene Brenek, Kristen Sussman, Ph.D., and Janice Suter. 

“I'm proud of what Texas State has been able to accomplish,” Devlin said. “Our students are strategic, intelligent and creative, and they bring a work ethic that any company would be lucky to have. We have the full support of our faculty, administration and alumni, which puts students in a position to develop professionally and succeed.” 

The 2026 team included Emma Van Dam, Reese Raley, Jude Kessler, Knox White, Jayla Martinez, Lauren Jones, Caitlin Tims, Emily Chu, Anna Claire Kelley, Kya Cox, Emelia Henderson, Amanda Miller, Jennifer Nunez, Isela Vasquez, Mattie Bess, Ailee Lozano, Devon Prentis, Chloe Boyd, Charlize Cosmas, Sebastian Escalante, Aeron Shipp, Aaron Huerta, Noah Morse, James Almaraz, Bora Kuyucu, Clint Pickett and Mike Sangoy. 

For more information, contact Elizabeth Hayek at xui1@txstate.edu.