The University of South Carolina Advertising Team competed in the AAF District 3 National Student Advertising Competition held April 9-10, at UNC Charlotte.  The national competition provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate client. 

After months of strategic planning, collaboration and dedicated effort, the 15-member team secured third place overall and also received the prestigious Mosaic Award, recognizing creative excellence in campaigns that authentically highlight underrepresented voices and deliver meaningful impact.

This year also marked a milestone as the program’s first fully integrated team, bringing together students from advertising, visual communications, public relations, sports media and the Darla Moore School of Business. By combining their expertise, the group represented the university in a new and impactful way while working on a campaign for the NFL.

“This was more than a competition. It was a defining experience,” said Kristin Walker, the team’s advisor. “This group represents some of our highest-performing students across disciplines and marks the first time in our program’s history that we built a fully integrated agency.”

“Through the American Advertising Federation and work with the National Football League, our students came together in a way that elevated everyone around them,” Walker said. “The teamwork, resilience, and support from our faculty and staff made this a true collective effort. I am incredibly proud not just of the work these students produced, but of the entire creative process and who they are becoming as young professionals. The future of our field is in very good hands.”

2026 Ad Team Members

Dax Andrews, senior, advertising and music
Cora Bainbridge, senior, public relations, sports media
Ransleigh Baldas, junior, advertising
Carly Beiter, senior, advertising
Bella Cosentino, senior, advertising
Benjamin Dreyer, senior, advertising
Madison Enslow, senior, advertising
Evelyn Esquivel, senior, visual communications
Amy Garza, junior, advertising
Emily Gencarelli, senior, advertising
Leah Hides, senior, visual communications
Talia Kohan, senior, advertising
Carmella Piccininni, senior, finance
Alyssa Shaw, junior, advertising
Jordan Williams, senior, public relations and sports media