Graphic design students from Pennsylvania College of Technology are concluding a highly successful 2024-25 season of national design awards. Capturing 32 awards in five competitions, the results spotlight the caliber of the college’s Bachelor of Science degree in graphic design.
The competitions and Penn College winners are:
Real Show 2025
Four Penn College juniors won awards in the editorial category of the Real Show 2025. Emily M. Scaife, of Williamsport, captured a Silver Award, with Awards of Excellence distributed to Kelly A. Herb, of Shamokin; Kira R. Matos, of Williamsport; and Hailey P. Stroble, of Thomasville.
“This was especially awesome, considering that the judge for this competition is the creative director of Science Magazine, which was the subject of the design assignment that the students won for,” explained Nicholas Stephenson, instructor of graphic design.
The Real Show is a student design competition focusing on “real competition, real projects and real deadlines,” giving college students the opportunity to solve real-life communication design problems. The competition is presented by George Mason University School of Art and sponsored by AIGA DC and Communication Arts Magazine.
AIGA is a professional association for design and was formerly known as the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
The design work of four Pennsylvania College of Technology graphic design students has earned recognition in the Real Show 2025 competition. Their projects for Science Magazine were judged by the publication’s creative director. Clockwise from upper left are the designs by Kira R. Matos, Kelly A. Herb, Hailey P. Stroble, and Emily M. Scaife. Scaife’s design (lower left) captured a Silver Award, with the other three earning Awards of Excellence.
Locally Sourced: AIGA Philadelphia
“Locally Sourced” is AIGA Philadelphia’s annual student competition “featuring the finest emerging creatives in the Mid-Atlantic.” The most recent contest marked its third year.
With 10 institutions from three states represented, the competition bestowed Honorable Mentions on three Penn College graphic design seniors: Renae Mack, of Selinsgrove, for “Book Jacket Series”; Josh J. Stank, of Williamsport, for “Distillery Labels”; and Hannah N. Steppe, of Jersey Shore, for “Book Jacket Series.”
Three Penn College graphic design students received Honorable Mentions in the "Locally Sourced" competition: Josh J. Stank for “Distillery Labels” (on left); Hannah N. Steppe for “Book Jacket Series” (upper right); and Renae Mack for “Book Jacket Series."
Flux: AIGA Baltimore
Flux is a nationwide student design competition presented annually by AIGA Baltimore. Established in 2007 by the former AIGA Blue Ridge chapter, Flux celebrates the best creative work produced each year by undergraduate and graduate students from across the country.
Three Penn College seniors captured four Flux awards. Recognized twice in the Identity category was Hunter A. Rossman, of Rebersburg, for his “Aegean Soap Co.” and “Independent Cooperative School Branding” designs. Sarah N. Nugent, of Russell, was honored in the User Experience/User Interface category for her “Donut Revolution App,” and Hannah N. Steppe, of Jersey Shore, earned a nod in the Publication category for “Folio to Feature Book Jacket Series.”
Three students captured four Flux awards: Hunter A. Rossman for his “Aegean Soap Co.” (lower right) and “Independent Cooperative School Branding” (top) designs; Sarah N. Nugent for her “Donut Revolution App” (lower left); and Hannah N. Steppe for her “Folio to Feature Book Jacket Series.”
American Advertising Awards
Seniors Renae Mack, of Selinsgrove, and Hunter A. Rossman, of Rebersburg, captured Silver Awards in a regional level of the American Advertising Awards contest, following their Gold Award finishes at the local level. The local competition was presented by the Northeast Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Advertising Federation.
At the regional level, their craft beer designs (Mack’s “Suburbia Hard Cider Packaging” and Rossman’s “Fearsome Critter Beer Works”) competed against other “local gold” winners from five states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
After winning a gold in the local American Advertising Awards competition, presented by the Northeast Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Advertising Federation, Renae Mack went on to capture a silver in the contest's regional level for her craft beer design: “Suburbia Hard Cider Packaging" ...
... a feat repeated by Hunter A. Rossman with his “Fearsome Critter Beer Works” design.
Rossman took home five other NEPA AAF Awards: three Judge’s Choice Awards for his “Aegean Soap Co. Packaging,” “Progressive School Brand Design” and “Fearsome Critter Beer Works”; and two Silver Awards for “Aegean Soap Co. Packaging” and “Progressive School Brand Design.”
Mack also earned an Honorable Mention for her “Cooperative School Branding.”
Other NEPA AAF Awards were:
• Gold Award: Emily M. Scaife, of Williamsport, “Donut Revolution App”
• Silver Award: Sarah N. Nugent, of Russell, “Critter Buddies Soap Packaging”; and Hannah N. Steppe, of Jersey Shore, “Folio to Feature Book Jacket Series”
• Honorable Mentions: Emma J. Bower, of Montoursville, “2023 Online Annual Report”; Taryn M. Donovan, of Lock Haven, “Jaws Book Jacket”; Kelly A. Herb, of Shamokin, “Online Impact Report”; Nugent, “Blackwater Distilling Bottles”; Brooke E. Sechrist, of Jersey Shore, “Book Jacket Designs”; and Steppe, “Hot Sauce Label”
Bower, Herb and Scaife are juniors. Donovan, Nugent, Sechrist and Steppe are seniors.
The American Advertising Awards receive more than 25,000 entries as part of its three-tier competition: local, regional and national levels.
Emily M. Scaife's “Donut Revolution App” was recognized with a Gold Award in the local American Advertising Awards.
NEPA AAF Silver Awards were bestowed on Hunter A. Rossman's “Aegean Soap Co. Packaging” and “Progressive School Brand Design”; Sarah N. Nugent's “Critter Buddies Soap Packaging”; and Hannah N. Steppe's “Folio to Feature Book Jacket Series.”
Honorable Mentions were given to Emma J. Bower's “2023 Online Annual Report"; Taryn M. Donovan's “Jaws Book Jacket”; Kelly A. Herb's “Online Impact Report”; Renae Mack's “Cooperative School Branding"; Sarah N. Nugent's “Blackwater Distilling Bottles”; Brooke E. Sechrist's “Book Jacket Designs”; and Hannah N. Steppe's “Hot Sauce Label”
Real Show 2024
Five Penn College seniors were recognized in the packaging/branding category of Real Show 2024. Their entries were for Blackwater Distilling’s rum and vodka labels.
Capturing a gold was Sarah N. Nugent, of Russell. Winning Awards of Excellence were: Taryn M. Donovan, of Lock Haven; Josh J. Stank, of Williamsport; and Hannah N. Steppe and Nolan J. Strouse, both of Jersey Shore.
The Real Show 2024 competition awarded honors to five Penn College students' entries for Blackwater Distilling’s rum and vodka labels.
The graphic design seniors graduated at the end of the 2024-25 academic year.
Penn College’s graphic design students and alumni consistently earn recognition in regional, national and international design competitions.
To learn more about Penn College’s graphic design and advertising art majors, contact the School of Business, Arts & Sciences at 570-327-4521.
For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.