Troy University students recently came away with a box load of ADDY Awards presented by the Montgomery Advertising Federation at the Federation’s annual Gala.

The ADDYs recognize creative excellence in all forms of advertising from media of all types and created by agencies of all sizes.

Perry Brown, of Troy, received a professional award and three student awards, a gold and two silvers from the Montgomery Advertising Federation. Those awards, coupled with the two professional awards and the student award that Brown received from the Dothan Advertising Federation, brought his ADDY total to seven.

Brown said the quality instruction at Troy University’s DTI department enabled him to compete with other university students in the area and also professional advertising firms.

“That Troy University brought home so many top awards shows that the DTI program is an outstanding one,” Brown said. “Receiving an ADDY Award is a sign of achievement in the field. It’s a sign that you have done something right.”

Brown said he is especially encouraged by the professional ADDYs he received.

“That’s an indication that I can be successful on the next level and it will be good to have ADDY Awards, especially professional ADDY Awards, on my resume when I start applying for a job.”

Brown does freelance work on the side. He and a friend, Ben Bloodworth of Auburn, have a small graphic design business, Jump Dog Studio, and two of the professional ADDYs were awarded to Jump Dog Studio, one for a brochure for Music South and the other for the JB Head Construction logo.

Brown will graduate in December and his plans are to work for a design firm for a while and, hopefully, one day own a graphic design firm of his own.

“I’ve always loved to draw but I didn’t get interested in graphic design until I started looking at concert posters,” he said.

“That was the beginning. I like to do posters, but I enjoy all aspects of advertising. The purpose of advertising is to communicate an idea and to send a message that will last. It’s a challenge to communicate aesthetically and to create a design that will grab you.”

For Brown and the other ADDY winners, the challenges of working in an industry that creates ideas to sell products are many and the opportunities are exciting.

But he said the graphics design students at Troy University are well prepared to meet the challenges and take advantages of the opportunities that await them.

Rob Drinkard, also of Troy, received two silver ADDY Awards from the Montgomery Advertising Federation.

Another Troy native Tyler Percy received a Gold Student Award from Dothan.

Turgay Tuncer took Student Best of the Show honors and received a $500 scholarship from Beasley Allen Attorneys and received the Best Concept for an Interactive Piece Award and the Mosaic Award for Poster Campaign. Hannah Keel received the Judge’s Choice Award and Cherokee Jones received the People’s Choice Award.

Troy University student award winners were Wade Clark, Lesley Graham, Joe Lovitte, Blair Green, Colleen Sullivan, Frank Grier, Traci Rood, Kala Nicole Faircloth, Hannah Keel, Kaitia Dowdell, Mykel Dylan Lambert, Cherokee Jones, Sarah Chisenall, Turgay Tuncer, Kelli Green, Christina Diaz and David A. Howard.