By EMILY NOHR
J Alumni News staff
Kevin Fuller has judged ADDY® awards in a North Dakota blizzard. And while wining and dining his way through Virginia. And he learned all about the Kentucky Derby while judging in Kentucky.
Fuller is one of several UNL alumni who have become regulars on the ADDY® judging circuit.
A 2005 grad and now an account executive at Archrival in Lincoln, Fuller first started judging when a friend asked him to help out.
“I love doing it,” Fuller said. “It’s good to be around that kind of work.”
ADDYs® draw tens of thousands of entries
Presented by the American Advertising Federation, the ADDYs® are the largest advertising competition in the world, yielding more than 60,000 entries of both student and professional work annually.
A single competition could feature 400 to 1,000 entries, judged by three or four people. The purpose is to recognize any form of creative advertising including new ideas like iPhone applications as well as the more traditional posters and brochures.
In addition to supporting the advertising industry as a whole, the ADDYs® fund several community programs including community service, internships, advocacy groups, advertising education and consumer awareness.
Judges get a chance to network
While the AAF covers people’s expenses when they judge a contest, the judges receive no pay for their work. But UNL alums who participate say the job has its own rewards. For one thing, they take advantage of the networking opportunities associated with judging the ADDYs®, too.
Tina Stokes, a 2002 J school alum and copywriter at Swanson Russell, judged the Missouri ADDYs® four years ago and now helps set up the annual Nebraska ADDYs® in Lincoln and Omaha.
Stokes especially enjoys the opportunity to “talk shop” with other professionals in her field.
“It’s the one night of the year you get to share stories and see other people who work across the state,” she said. “Otherwise, you don’t normally know what other people work on.”
She is also inspired and excited to see such great work all in one place.
“You realize that Nebraska has really strong, creative people here even though you don’t normally think of Nebraska as being a creative hub,” she said. “It’s refreshing.”
Megan Bergman, a 2005 UNL alum and art director at Ervin & Smith, helps to judge the ADDys.
Judging can be a bit subjective
Each judge has his or her own criteria for judging. Megan Bergman, a 2005 UNL alum and art director at Ervin & Smith, likes eye-grabbing entries.
“It’s kind of like when you’re grocery shopping and you’re looking for the best produce,” Bergman said. “Some you don’t even notice, and some jump out at you.”
Bergman, who judged in Omaha in November at the annual student ADDYs®, judges on the basis of four main criteria: appearance, execution, cleverness and design.
For more information about the professional or student ADDYs® awards and judging opportunities, visit the American Advertising Federation or Omaha Federation of Advertising.
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