Graphic design student wins AAF award

For Rylie Cole, photography started out as a hobby. Little did she know that the thing she started doing for fun would result in winning a gold award in still life photography from the Black Hills chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF).  

“I definitely was not expecting to win, especially the gold award,” Rylie Cole, 22, senior of Minden, said. “This submission was also my only submission, and I hadn’t heard back from AAF for weeks, so I thought that maybe I didn’t win anything.” 

Cole, a graphic design major at CSC, said she submitted the black and white close up of one of her family’s cows because she had received compliments on the piece and was “genuinely proud” of it.  

The submission had been last-minute, and she said she wasn’t too confident going into the contest. 

Which was why she was surprised by the win. 

“When I won the award and attended the gala it was a real eye opener for me because it made me feel more confident as an artist and designer,” she said.  

Cole’s piece automatically advanced to the national AAF competition and is being judged, with the award show taking place in Nashville. 

“I feel nervous,” she said. “I can only attend the award show in Nashville if I win an award. Right now, my photograph has been submitted to the next tier of the competition and will be judged for the Nashville award ceremony. I hope I win an award, but I am happy with the award I have from the Black Hills competition.”  

CSC has been sending students to AAF workshops and competitions since 2013. 

“I would like to thank the art professors for making us students feel confident and comfortable to submit our work for shows and competitions,” Cole said. “I would specifically like to thank Mary Donahue for pushing me to submit to the AAF competition and for all the help she has given me in the process.”