Fairfax, Va. (May 28, 2026) – As part of the 2026 Strategic Excellence Awards, the Hispanic Marketing Council (HMC) partnered with the Ad Council to champion the future talent pipeline in marketing. This year, undergraduate teams from colleges and universities nationwide were challenged to develop a culturally resonant social impact marketing campaign.      

University of North Texas earned Gold for its standout submission, with University of Florida taking Silver and Drew University receiving Bronze honors. In addition, Southern Methodist University and Florida State University received honorable mention.

Now in its second year, the Student Category gives undergraduate students real-world, portfolio-building experience. Students from top programs across the country were tasked with creating culturally fluent work to connect with audiences and drive impact.

“To drive sustained growth, our industry needs a strong pipeline of talent that understands cultural resonance is vital in building trust with consumers,” said Victor Paredes, chair of the HMC Strategic Excellence Awards Committee and executive director of cultural strategy at Collage Group. “The Student Awards help build that pipeline—elevating culturally fluent thinking at the undergraduate level while giving students real-world experience.”

The Ad Council, the nation’s leader in leveraging communications to inspire action and accelerate change around the most pressing social issues in the U.S., challenged students with a creative brief to develop a marketing campaign that resonates broadly. Undergraduate students across the country submitted entries for evaluation by a prestigious panel of academic and marketing leaders.

This year’s competition was based on the Ad Council’s long-standing High School Equivalency campaign. Since launching in 2010, the campaign, in partnership with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, has connected over 2 million adults with actionable steps to achieve their high school diplomas. 

“We value the chance to collaborate with the next generation of creatives and marketing leaders, and we were excited to see current students ideate on ways to inspire more adults to take the next step in their high school educational journeys,” said Heidi Arthur, chief campaign and programs officer at the Ad Council. “We’re thrilled to partner with HMC in encouraging these young creatives to center social impact in their work.”

The competition was open to all undergraduate students across the U.S., with one team per institution selected by a faculty sponsor. The Gold-winning team from University of North Texas included Jamie Lopez, Mel Cartagena, Santiago Galaviz, Brandon Aviles, Yailyn Lora-Romero, Orlando Hernandez, and Ana Caballero.