UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A team of Penn State students earned a first-place finish in a district-level competition as part of the nation’s premiere college advertising competition, earning a spot in the semifinals of the National Student Advertising Competition for the first time in program history.

The students from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications crafted a campaign for a national client that was judged as the best effort in the district. Competitors were charged with creating a comprehensive and fully integrated communications program for a national client that was grounded in research, built on an insight and executed across a variety of paid, owned and earned media channels.

"Our students' recommendation impressed the judges who felt it strongly delivered on the client brief and then some," said Dave Wozniak, the Donald P. Bellisario Career Advancement Professor in the Department of Advertising/Public Relations, who led the 27-member team to the recent district competition in New York City. "This team started working in September and set a goal to win. They invested countless hours inside and outside the classroom in the development of the campaign. I couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishment and the commitment to excellence each of them made. This is truly a great recognition for the Bellisario College and Penn State.”

The National Student Advertising Competition is the premiere college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college student the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising, marketing and media campaign for a corporate client.

With its spot in the semifinals, the Bellisario College team will now compete to become one of eight national finalists.

The competition has been conducted annually since 1973.