By TILISHA T. ALEXANDER

Staff Writer

Fifteen graphic design students are traveling to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the 10th District Addy Awards Competition on April 22 and 23.

The Addy Awards is a showcase of professionals' work from the Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas marketing area, and it attracts student entries from Tech.

Graphic design students won 11 awards in the local Advertising Federation's American Advertising Competition held in Bossier City.

Ryan Colgin, a senior graphic design major, said the competition was hard because so many universities were represented.

"We had to create a logo and a newspaper ad for the 'Zoo Doo' project at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle," Colgin said.

Awards were presented before 200 marketing, advertising, graphic design and public relations professionals from the Shreveport area.

The following senior graphic design majors received awards:

-- Colgin, Jennifer Micinski, Paul Nihart and John Sukmann won the People's Choice Award, which decided which winning entry, among both students and professionals, was the best.

-- Jonathan Bowden, Christie Coyle, Amanda Sanchez and Nathan Swilley won the silver award for their corporate graphic identity campaign.

-- Sharon Chong, Ginger McBride and Sara Selser won the gold award for their packaging design campaign for health tea.

-- Rene Robichaux, Erin Dwyer, Brent Hammett and Kayla Smith won silver awards for their packaging design campaign for health tea.

Smith said it was a great experience to compete with professionals.

"Our work was ranked with those who already are in the field that we are studying, and it was such a pleasure to be a part of the awards," Smith said.

Gary Hauser, winner of the special judges' award and a professor of art, said the work the students put out was of high quality and professionally organized.

"I'm really proud to say our students are learning all they need to know in the classrooms for these kinds of competitions," Hauser said.

"It's great to know that our students are good enough to compete with professionals."