Saluki AdLab students who garnered recently garnered regional American Advertising Federation of Southern Illinois American Advertising awards are front row, from left, Audrey Dowland and Alexis Moore and back row, from left, Clare Johnson, Marisa Nix and Emma Thompson. (Photo by Russell Bailey)
April 07, 2026
SIU Carbondale students succeed in regional advertising competition
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale students continue to show they can compete with advertising professionals at the regional ADDYs. Saluki advertising students brought home a bevy of honors in the recent American Advertising Federation of Southern Illinois American Advertising Awards
They earned 20 gold and nine silver ADDYS in the competition where their work is judged alongside those of industry professionals and honors top advertising pieces and campaigns in the region.
Bridget Lescelius, an associate lecturer in the Charlotte Thompson Suhler School of Journalism and Advertising and Saluki AdLab director, said success on the local level launches students’ work on to a national stage for review. The expanded network and the attention their work receives can be critical to a successful job search — especially because they can list their awards on their resumes, Lescelius said.
“The work they submit is a mix of projects from AdLab and individual projects from courses or passion projects,” Lescelius said. “Our membership in the American Advertising Federation is key to giving our students opportunities and connections far beyond the campus experience.”
The ADDYs are one of the largest advertising competitions in the U.S., with tens of thousands of entries annually. Each submission is judged on its own merits. Entries earning Gold ADDYs advance to national competitions — and that means multiple rounds of expert evaluation by experienced industry professionals.
Students, their total awards, majors and hometowns, are:
- Alexis Moore, 6 gold and 5 silver ADDYS, undergraduate third year, art, Geneseo, Illinois.
- Marisa Nix, 4 gold ADDYS and 1 silver ADDY, undergraduate fourth year, art, O’Fallon, Illinois.
- Audrey Dowland, 1 gold ADDY and 3 silver ADDYS, undergraduate fourth year, marketing, O’Fallon, Illinois.
- Emma Thompson, 3 gold ADDYS undergraduate fourth year, journalism, Opdyke, Illinois.
- Clare Johnson, 1 gold ADDY, undergraduate second year, journalism, Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
- Saluki AdLab earned four Gold Addys for work with an AT&T campaign and video ad, Night Light interactive website and Hangar 9 event promotions.
In addition, James Jameson, a third-year undergraduate majoring in journalism from St. Cloud, Florida, won a Gold ADDY for illustration for the Daily Egyptian student newspaper.
Saluki AdLab continued success
Saluki AdLab provides students with professional experience and exposure by applying the skills and theory from the classroom to benefit local, regional and national organizations and businesses, as well as strengthening university-community relations.
The two-time district champions (2021, 2023) will be looking for a third title along with a top three finish for the seventh time in eight years when they compete in the National Student Advertising Conference District 6 competition, April 9-10, in South Bend, Indiana.