2025 12 Hour Student Design Challenge

Real life in the advertising and marketing industry happens quickly. Deadlines loom. Budgets bust. Clients waffle. Creatives butt heads. This is real life, and this is our life and we love it. In an effort to expose students to a little of the beautiful chaos that is agency life, AAFCM is proud to present the 2025 12–Hour Student Design Challenge!

Beginning at 8:30 AM, teams of four college students will be presented with a creative brief explaining the chosen nonprofit’s mission and unique marketing needs. The teams’ goal for the next several hours? Execute. Develop a complete marketing strategy including all necessary deliverables with the client’s mission in mind. Teams will have access to advisors representing several different agencies and creative organizations in the area – advisors who spend their days doing exactly what the students will: hustling to meet a deadline, while turning out incredible work.

Teams will present their designs and working strategy to a panel of judges also tied to the local industry. The winning team will receive gift certificates, the much-coveted traveling SDC trophy, and more importantly, bragging rights. For all students, it will be a great portfolio and resume builder, as well as a chance to get your name into the network of creative professionals who support the day.

Students:

Register now to be one of the 12-Hour Design Challenge teams. It’s first come, first serve, so finalize your teams, and we’ll announce when team registration is full. There is no requirement to what majors/areas of study are represented by the team members. However, we strongly recommend that teams be well-rounded with strong skills in design, marketing/communications, writing, strategy, and planning.

Register Now

Nonprofits:

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be selected and get marketing deliverables and strategy from talented area students! Applications are due March 7th.

Apply Now