Texas State places third nationally in National Student Advertising Competition
Elizabeth Hayek
Digital Media Specialist
May 30th, 2026
AUSTIN, Texas, May 30, 2026 - Texas State University won third in the national championship at the American Advertising Federation's (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition Finals. 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 program’s fourth top-three-finish in national finals since 2020, making it one of most consistent stretches in the collegiate advertising competition. Texas State 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 Dr. Mike Devlin, Texas State University’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 3rd, 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.
Texas State'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,” said Dr. Michael Devlin, professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and faculty advisor. “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.
Faculty advisors include Dr. Mike Devlin, Cimin Cohen, Sage Baker, and Dr. Rick Wilson. Additional faculty support provided from Jenny Buschhorn, Dr. Clay Craig, Gene Brenek, Dr. Kristen Sussman 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.
About the Texas State NSAC Program:
Texas State University's National Student Advertising Competition team is an interdisciplinary group of students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the School of Art and Design, and the McCoy College of Business. Each year, students research, build, and present a complete integrated marketing campaign for a national client through the American Advertising Federation's NSAC, one of the nation's premier collegiate advertising competitions. Texas State won the national championship in 2025 and has reached the national finals four times since 2020. For information about the NSAC program, go to https://www.aaf.org/Public/Public/Events/National-Student-Advertising-Competition/NSAC_Home.aspx