Roanoke, VA, skyline
Roanoke, VA, skyline

2023 Western Virginia Advertising Award Winners

The best of advertising was honored Saturday, March 4, 2023 at the Western Virginia American Advertising Awards Gala in Roanoke. More than 150 were in attendance to celebrate the best of marketing and advertising in the region during the awards show at Charter Hall in the historic City Market Building. 

In addition to creative awards, AAF Roanoke awarded a Silver Medal to Amy Pearman. The award is AAF’s lifetime achievement award.  
 
The annual awards competition had 128 professional entries from 29 agencies, firms, in-house creatives, and individuals as well as 46 student entries from Virginia Tech, Liberty University, and Radford University. 
 
5 Points Creative took home the top professional honor of the year, the Howard Packett Award for Creative Excellence (AAF Roanoke’s Best in Show) for Perfect Temperature. The campaign also won a Best of Broadcast and Gold ADDY award. 

AAF Roanoke earned a Judge’s Choice award for their Awards Carrier Amp that debuted at the 2022 Western Virginia Advertising Awards for the Back in Black *Tie theme. The collaborative project included AAF member (and Vendor of the Year winner) Pratt (Converting Division Roanoke), LLC, in the creation of the packages. Credits go to Peggy Underwood, Packaging Graphic and Structural Designer; Ray Dwyer, Structural Design Manager; Pratt Roanoke, Digital Printer & Manufacturer. 


Virginia Tech for Vote earned the Best of Print honor for AIGA Design for Democracy Vote: Keep Them Out. 

Best of Broadcast: 5Points Creative for Perfect Temperature Campaign.  

The Best of Digital was awarded to Carilion Clinic for Heart Month Promo.  

The Mosaic ADDY, for work showcasing diversity in advertising, went to Anstey Hodge Advertising Group for Hollins Magazine Immigration.

The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting more than 40,000 entries every year in local competitions. AAF Roanoke’s Western Virginia American Advertising Awards competition is the first of a three-tier, national competition. Concurrently, across the country, local entrants vie to win ADDY Awards—recognition as the very best creative work in their markets. 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. Entry in the local competition is the first step toward winning a National ADDY. 

AAF Roanoke was also proud to award two special awards to leaders in the advertising and marketing industry. The recipients have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the field of advertising and marketing in the past year, and AAF Roanoke congratulates them for the work they do.  

Advertising Person of the Year was awarded to Liz Lively. If you’re looking for a passionate, steadfast, honorable person in the advertising industry, look no further than Liz. She is an advocate for her clients and ensures she does right by them—she looks out for the little guy. All the while bringing continued success and business to Wheeler Digital. Among all that, she finds time to serve on the board of Opera Roanoke and travel the state to watch her son play sports. 

Vendor of the Year was awarded to Pratt (Converting Division Roanoke), LLC, America’s leading recycled paper and packaging company for over 30 years–dedicated to the sustainability of the planet, its customers, and its people. Time and time again they impress with their ability to create pure magic. From a full sized Delorean and Rubix cubes for a Back-to-Future-themed event to amps and guitars for the 2022 Back in Black *Tie awards gala, the creative minds at Pratt go above and beyond to bring ideas to life for their clients.

The AAF Roanoke Shine Award recognizes the outstanding work by an organization or individual in the area of community or public service. Patrick Finley is the recipient of the 2023 Shine Award. Patrick started Design UP (UP standing for Virginia Tech’s motto Ut Prosim, translating to “That I May Serve”) where 13 design professionals mentored 52 graduate students to create a variety of design materials for local non-profits throughout Southwest Virginia. In its inaugural year, Design UP assisted nine local non-profits while acting as a community building in the New River Valley. His program serves as a model for others across the country and has inspired other universities to attempt similar initiatives. 


American Advertising Award Professional Winners

All gold awards will be submitted to AAF District 3 for further competition.

American Advertising Award Student Winners

Amy Pearman Wins Silver Medal Award

The Silver Medal is AAF Roanoke’s lifetime achievement award. It recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern. The award serves to enhance the image of advertising by recognizing a locally well-known person for his or her advertising and community involvement. 

This year’s recipient, Amy Pearman, is the president of Boyd Pearman Photography in Roanoke. She has supported AAF for more than two decades as well as executing several Western Virginia Advertising Awards shows. She has led a distinguished, award-winning career for 26 years with Boyd Pearman Photography where she’s been featured in many national publications and has won more than 100 awards for photographic creative excellence.

And what does she do with her talents? Works to help other succeed. She has created and continues to mentor a photographer/videographer intern program to help support the growth of young women in an often male-dominated industry and created two educational scholarships along with her husband.

In addition to time spent honing her craft and helping others achieve success, she’s active in several causes including Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia, The Roanoke Valley SPCA, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, The Sole Stars campaign, Feeding America Southwest Virginia, United Way, Boys and Girls Club, JDRF, and many others.

Congratulations to all this year’s winners.