Riverside, Calif. (June 13, 2016) – Two California Baptist University students' teamwork and creativity resulted in the first national American Advertising Awards (AAF) won by an Inland Empire college student. The awards were given at the AAF ceremony, also known as ADDYs, held in Anaheim, Calif., on June 7.

Jacob Gonzalez, a photography senior, received gold for his entry in the "Elements of Advertising—Still Photography, Campaign" category. Brittany Hatch, a graphic design and digital media senior, received silver for her entry in the "Out-of-Home—Poster" category.

The two students agreed to collaborate last fall on a project for their Intermediate Image course. Since Gonzalez has experience as a sports photographer, they focused in that field. Gonzalez took photos of athletes, and Hatch used her graphic design talents to create fictional Nike advertisement posters.

The students submitted three posters in separate categories for the AAF-Inland Empire Awards in March. Both won gold. Then they won silver in AAF District 15, which covers Southern California and Southern Nevada, and advanced to the nationals. Nationwide, the local student competitions drew more than 6,000 entries. 

"Getting recognized nationally is something I am extremely grateful for," Gonzalez said. "I am thankful for the talent God gave me. It was such an honor to represent CBU and all the dedication of the photography and design professors for teaching us every year."

Michael Berger, program director for the photography and graphic design and digital media majors, said the students' awards are evidence of their hard work and the success of CBU's College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design.

"Jacob and Brittany's work stood up against work done at the nation's best art schools. For them, it is a great honor and evidence of the quality of work they are doing," Berger said.