Texas State University First Place at District 10 NSAC, Dr. Mike Devlin Named Educator of the Year

The Texas State NSAC team, faculty advisors Dr. Mike Devlin and Cimin Cohen, NFL client representatives and AAF District 10 representatives pose following the competition.

Texas State University won first place in the 2026 American Advertising Federation (AAF) District 10 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) which took place in Dallas, Texas. District 10 includes universities in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

The win marks back-to-back district titles for the Texas State team and the program’s fourth first-place finish in the past five years.

The National Student Advertising Competition is the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising campaign for a corporate client. This year’s case competition was sponsored by the NFL.

The Texas State NSAC team includes students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Department of Marketing, and the Communication Design program in the School of Art and Design.

In addition to the team’s overall victory, Dr. Michael Devlin, professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and NSAC team advisor, was honored as Educator of the Year for AAF District 10.

The Texas State NSAC team, faculty advisor Dr. Mike Devlin receiving Educator of the Year for AAF District 10.

“This once again demonstrates the growth and experience of our advertising program,” Devlin said. “These students learn so much, and being able to apply what they learn in the classroom to a professional pitch for a client like the NFL is remarkable. They are not only skilled, but also driven, which allows them to succeed year after year.”

The team now advances to the semi-final round taking place in May.

The team was advised by Dr. Michael Devlin, Professor of Advertising, and Cimin Cohen, co-faculty advisor. Sage Baker of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Dr. Rick Wilson of the Department of Marketing assisted with research during the fall semester.

The Texas State NSAC program continues to earn national recognition through consistent top finishes and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The students who participated in the Spring competition and who will be advancing to regionals include:

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

For information about the NSAC program, go to https://www.aaf.org/Public/Public/Events/National-Student-Advertising-Competition/NSAC_Home.aspx