ADPR students win 3% Student Competition

Amanda Walla and Samee Callahan's poster entry
Amanda Walla and Samee Callahan's poster entry

Amanda Walla and Samee Callahan have been selected as one of 10 winners in the 3% Student Competition. The top 10 winners (20 students total because they worked in pairs) won tickets to The 3% Conference in San Francisco Nov. 3-4; they will attend a private lunch on Day 1 of the Conference where leaders from Adobe and other agencies will critique their portfolios; and they have each been awarded a travel stipend. Their winning submission will be displayed during the conference.

Walla and Callahan are studying advertising and public relations with a focus on graphic design. They’re both juniors and William H. Thompson Scholars.

Nationwide, the winning entries came from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Boston University, Brown University, SUNY New Paltz, University of Central Florida, University of Texas, Miami Ad School SF, Missouri School of Journalism, San Diego Portfolio Studio and City College of New York.

This year's creative challenge was to celebrate the fact that the ratio of female-to-male Creative Directors has increased 300%. Each team created a poster to announce this news to the industry, to motivate folks to attend the conference and to keep the movement going.

The 3% Conference is an organization whose aim is to fill the gender gap between male and female creative leaders in advertising. Only three percent of all creative directors in advertising are women. In a world where women influence 80 percent or more of consumer spending, this is business suicide. The mission of The 3% Conference is to build the business case for diversity by championing female creative talent and leadership by offering content, community and professional development. The movement includes a two-day conference in San Francisco; multi-city road shows throughout North America; a vibrant online community; a live Super Bowl event; a student scholarship fund; a creative award; and a business blog to support the crusade.