Congratulations to ADDY winners

Tri-State Advertising & Marketing Professionals has once again held its American Advertising Awards Show, known as the ADDYs. This year's event, which took place Feb. 19 at the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau Events Center, presented ADDY awards to professionals and Southeast Missouri State University students.

Winners include "the best in local advertising," as the Southeast Missourian's Bridget Brown recently reported. With "171 broadcast, digital and print entries Â… submitted this year from agencies, businesses, individuals and students in the region," those who were selected should be proud. Of those submissions, Tri-State AMP presented 38 ADDY awards and recognitions to professionals and 19 Student ADDY awards to students from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

The judges, who are people who work in various fields outside the region -- to make selections fair -- had the difficult task of narrowing the talent and choosing the best of the best.

The Silver Medal Award was presented to Mary Spell, former director of Saint Francis Medical Center's marketing and public-relations department; The Wright Group, Red Letter Communications Inc., Creative Edge Inc., Southeast Missouri State University and rustmedia were chosen as Gold ADDY winners; and Southeast student Vatchae Sams took home Best of Show honors for "Gang Star Diner," to name a few award-winners.

Co-chairwoman of Tri-State Advertising & Marketing Professionals, Tonya Wells, said "judges look only at the quality of the work." Therefore, the "competition is based on creativity."

Congratulations to each winner for the important work you do in marketing and advertising.

For a complete record of the winners and more information about this year's ADDYs, read our coverage at semissourian.com.