The American Advertising Federation-Dayton hosted its 2026 American Advertising Awards on March 6 at Benham's Grove in Centerville. The annual event recognizes outstanding creative work produced across the Dayton region, honoring projects in advertising, design, video, and digital media.

As awards were announced throughout the evening, a pattern quickly became clear. Many of the teams taking the stage had a connection to The Modern. From current students and recent graduates to longtime alumni and adjunct instructors, the college’s creative community appeared again and again among the winners. The moment served as a reminder of how many designers working across Dayton’s agencies, studios, and creative teams began their careers at The Modern.

Student ADDY awards included:

Lucy Gable
Carolingian – Custom Typeface
Instructor: Clancy Boyer
Gold ADDY

Josh Cross
AirPods Pro Commercial
Instructor: Kevin Passmore
Silver ADDY

Christian Burlison
REGEN – Microsite
Instructor: Paul Garcher
Silver ADDY

Micah Hermiller
Save the Bees – Microsite
Instructor: Paul Garcher
Silver ADDY

Parv Nema
CARDCON: Reshuffled
Instructor: Clancy Boyer
Award of Merit

Gabe Salazar
The Grinch X Amazon Prime PSA
Instructor: Kevin Passmore
Award of Merit

Additional Professional ADDY awards included:

The Modern College of Design
2025 Commencement Ceremony
President – Jessica Barry
Director of Marketing – Justin Morter
Silver ADDY

That presence could be seen across several respected agencies and creative teams in the region, including Real Art, Boom Crate Studios, Ohlmann Group, Think Patented, and Jetpack. Many professionals working at these organizations are graduates of The Modern, and several also contribute to the college as adjunct instructors or mentors for current students.

One of the highlights of the evening came when Chris Wire of Real Art received the Silver Medal Award, one of the federation’s highest honors. The award recognizes individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the advertising and creative industry in the Dayton region.

“The American Advertising Awards are a great reminder of how strong Dayton’s creative community is,” said Jessica Barry, President of The Modern College of Design. “It’s inspiring to see so many of our graduates contributing to the work being recognized across the region. Their success reflects the lasting impact design education can have on the creative industry.”

Designers who receive Gold or Silver ADDY Awards advance to the next level of competition in District 5, where they compete with work from Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Winning entries at the district level move on to the national American Advertising Awards competition.

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