A team of 13 students will represent UK at the national finals of the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).

The 13 students are from the Department of Integrated Strategic Communications in the UK College of Communication and Information.

The team qualified as one of the final eight teams in the competition, which is held by the American Advertising Federation, which “promotes the well being of advertising,” according to its website.

The annual competition begins with 130 schools competing in 15 different districts. Each year, a different company sponsors the competition, and the teams create a campaign for the sponsor. The 2017 sponsor is Tai Pei.

At the national competition, called ADMERICA, which is June 7-8 in New Orleans, the team will present their campaign to judges who are professionals within the advertising industry.

Four of the 13 team members are presenters, including 2017 UK graduate Madison Elder. Those four will present their memorized script to the judges for 20 minutes.

“We are rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing right now,” Elder said.

She said that while she can’t share specifics of their campaign, she can say that the team’s campaign “has been described by previous judges as integrated and realistic.”

Elder said the presenters worried about fitting their campaign into 20 minutes, but other members on the team, who are known for their writing skills, helped the presenters before the district competition.

Twelve of the 13 students on the team have graduated. The class in which students prepare for this competition is a capstone course for seniors, Elder said.

Assistant ISC professor Adriane Grumbein and associate ISC professor Alyssa Eckman are the co-advisers for the team.

“I am incredibly proud of this hard-working, talented bunch of students,” Grumbein said. “They have gone above and beyond what any normal class requires and poured their hearts, souls and weekends into this campaign.”

She said their dedication is reflected in their work.

“On top of that,” Grumbein said, “they are also just plain fun to be around.”

Elder said it is “surreal” to make it this far in the competition.

“I had honestly daydreamed about how a presentation at nationals would go, and now I have to actually practice for one,” Elder said.

All 13 team members are listed below:

• Carli Ackerstein
• Laura Brower
• Madison Elder
• Megan Galage
• Alé Gibson
• Bailey Klutts
• Sarah Kosid
• Lauren Kowalski
• Danielle Mallory
• Alexi Mojsejenko
• Garrett Ringler
• Susan Schuldt
• Joanna Sowa

UK’s highest finish in this competition was sixth place in 2006, according to UKNow.