Loerie Awards history for Mandela University students #R2bP

13/11/2020

Reasons to be Proud - #R2bP: The 2020 academic year is one that will not be forgotten for a number of reasons – and for eight Nelson Mandela University students from the Department of Media & Communication and the Department of Visual Arts – it could become memorable in the most rewarding of ways.

The largest and most recognized industry awards show for visual communication, design & advertising in Africa and the Middle East, the Loerie Awards, announced its 2020 finalists ahead of the online ceremony to be held next week.

Mandela University has registered its highest number of finalist projects ever at the creative showpiece, seven, up from one the previous year. Ncumisa Vabaza, Abongile Nongqoza and Busisiwe Laveni from the Department of Media & Communication have also created history by being the University’s first ever Public Relations students to feature at the Loeries. Their entry is one of 22 finalists in the Instagram Student Challenge Category at the Loeries, which asked students to create a mobile first Instagram campaign to tackle underage drinking in association with Aware.org – the Association for Alcohol Awareness and Responsibility.

The Department of Visual Arts is also well represented by its Graphic Design students in Shene Delport, Emma Carter, Tameron Karelse as well as Tembukazi Ncanisa and Amberleigh Du Plessis who have two finalist projects apiece.

The recognition comes only a few weeks after Abigail Friedeman and Nina Matthee – both 3^rd year Graphic Design students in the Department of Visual Arts – won the #OfficialMaskOfTheLoeries design competition and made it to the Top 15 of the Loeries Student Portfolio Programme respectively. Should any of the projects (listed below with accompanying links) secure silverware for Mandela Uni, it would be back-to-back wins at the Loeries for the first time for the University.

One of the student winners from last year, Sibuyiselwe Nhlangwini, who has since stepped up into lecturing, successfully guided two 2^nd year Graphic Design projects to be up for contention at the glamorous awards show. Victory would make her, joined by fellow lecturer Mr Senzo Xulu, part of an illustrious handful of academics in the country to have won at the Loerie Awards both as a student and a lecturer.

Together with more than 50 keynote speakers and industry leaders from across Africa & the Middle East and the world, the winners will be announced between 4-6pm every day during the online Loeries Creative Week 2020. The programme for the awards can be found here.

Nelson Mandela University Finalists:

Category: Instagram Challenge

Project Title: Who Influenced Who?

Brand: aware.org

Students: Ncumisa Vabaza, Abongile Nongqoza, Busisiwe Laveni, Tembukazi Ncanisa

Lecturer: Senzo Xulu

https://finalists.loeries.com/loeries2020.aspx?link=viewstation_finalist&id=160879

Category: Integrated Campaign

Project Title: Knitters Giving Warmth

Brand: Yarn Me Softly

Student: Amberleigh Du Plessis

Lecturer: Senzo Xulu