UFCJC Advertising students receive second place in the national 2026 HMC Strategic Excellence Student Awards competition

Eight University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Advertising students received a silver award in the national 2026 Hispanic Marketing Council + Ad Council Strategic Excellence Student Awards competition.

This is the second year for the student category recognizing multicultural and advertising excellence among undergraduate students. In 2026, teams were challenged to develop a culturally resonant social impact marketing campaign based on the Ad Council’s long-standing High School Equivalency campaign which helps connect adults with actionable steps to achieve their high school diplomas.

The student team from ADV4800 Advertising Campaigns class included Skyler Prieto, Adrian Escuti-Abreu, Samantha Green, Haruka Fakuda, Nicole Batista, Griffin Hallemeier, Miah Cooke and Elise Norman. UFCJC Advertising Lecturer Santiago Kember served as mentor.

Founded in 1996 as the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, the Hispanic Marketing Council is the only national trade organization of all marketing, communications and media firms with trusted Hispanic expertise.

The Ad Council, the nation’s leader in leveraging communications to inspire action and accelerate change around the most pressing social issues in the U.S., challenged students with a creative brief to develop a marketing campaign that resonates broadly.

Undergraduate students across the country submitted entries for evaluation by a prestigious panel of academic and marketing leaders. The University of North Texas received gold and Drew University received the bronze honor. Southern Methodist University and Florida State University received honorable mentions.

Category: College News, Student News
Tagged: 2026 Hispanic Marketing Council + Ad Council Strategic Excellence Student Awards Advertising Santiago Kember
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