American Advertising Federation Hosts 2017 Addy Awards Gala

Industry's Largest and Most Representative Competition Receives Record-Breaking Number of Submissions and AAF Sees Sharp Increase in Membership

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American Advertising Federation

Mar 30, 2017, 11:07 ET

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., March 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Advertising Federation (AAF) Orange County was pleased to host its awards gala on March 23, which recognized the winners of the first stage of the 2017 American Advertising Awards (ADDY) Competition. With nominations that were open to companies throughout the Orange County metropolitan area, the gala marked the end of first stage of a three-tier national competition that highlights innovation and creativity in advertising. At the second tier, local ADDY winners compete against winners from other local clubs in one of 15 district competitions. District ADDY winners are then forwarded to the third tier, the national stage of the American Advertising Awards.

Congratulations to everyone in the Orange County advertising community for a memorable 2017 ADDY AWARDS!

"We are currently raising the bar of creativity and Orange County is emerging as a 'hot spot' destination market where people are inspired to do their best creative work," said AAF President Rachel Svoboda. "These incredible winners, who were recognized at the gala, reflect the amazing innovation and good work being done in Orange County. We wish them good luck as they move forward to the next stage of the competition."

The gala took place at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, Calif., and included a musical performance by 133 Band and an introduction by board member Wing Lam, founder of Wahoo's Fish Taco. Award judges comprised top-tier industry professionals including Mike Ancevic, managing partner/chief creative officer at The Fantastical; Ted Jendrysik, creative director at Mechanica; and Marc Ruggiero, senior director of production design at George P Johnson. This year also included a new category, Lifetime Achievement Award, which was awarded to John Vrba. For a complete list of this year's winners, click here.

This year's OC ADDY Awards received more than 400 submissions, with participation from more than 65 agencies. The theme was "Top Shelf Creativity," reflecting the diverse work submitted for awards and the dynamic pool of advertising talent in the region. With Orange County membership seeing an increase of more than 1,000 percent in just the past 90 days and a brand new board of directors, AAF is poised for expansion and transformation in the upcoming year. For list of board members, visit www.aafoc.org/about-us/boardmembers/.

Proceeds from the American Advertising Awards help support advertising education, public service projects and proactive creative efforts in Orange County. For more information on AAF, visit www.aafoc.org.

About AMERICAN ADVERTISING FEDERATION
The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition for creative excellence. The three-tier national competition is conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation, advertising's largest industry association and the only one to represent the interests of all facets of advertising: advertisers, agencies, suppliers and media. The AAF is based in Washington, D.C. and has more than 40,000 members through 200 local advertising clubs. More information at www.aaf.org

ABOUT AMERICAN ADVERTISING FEDERATION / ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER
The AAF/OC's chief mission is to connect, inspire and contribute to the marketing community in Orange County and Greater Los Angeles area. It connects and elevates Orange County's marketing and advertising professionals to build a stronger overall community. It inspires professionals and students through education, mentoring and training to create a better world through advertising, and contributes to society by donating its time and talents to benefit individuals and organizations, both non-profit and for-profit. For information, go to www.aafoc.org.