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In 2020 the Graphic Excellence Awards Gala was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, the Awards Gala was held again, and Pittsburg State University’s Graphics and Imaging program was recognized for not only their winning entries from this year but entries from last year as well.
“This is one of several different student competitions open to GIT students,” said Doug Younger, Interim Chair and Professor of Graphics and Imaging Technologies. “This competition is a bit different in that these projects are judged primarily on print quality and production techniques while other student competitions focus primarily on design qualities. This competition highlights the students’ skills in their finished product… There are many GIT alumni in attendance at the Gala. It’s a time to reconnect with our alumni and hearing “Go Pitt” cheers as the student’s names are called is a great feeling,”
The Graphics and Imaging Technologies department at PSU offers more than 170 majors and 70 minors, two undergrad degrees with six optional minors, as well as graduate courses.
“I won the award for a project I made in one of the packaging classes in the GIT department,” said Olivia Frazier, senior in GIT, who also won an honorable mention in the student category. “It was a small bag to package chocolates for a fictional company I named ‘Buzz Kill.”
The Graphic Excellence Awards Gala is an annual event that is held in Kansas City, Mo. and this years’ Gala was held at the Argosy Casino. This year marks the third year the GIT students at Pitt State have participated in this competition.
“One of my GIT professors told me about this competition and wanted to know if I would like to enter,” Frazier said. “She helped me through the process of entering which included producing a physical copy of the bag to send to the competition.”
Pitt State student winners include spring 2021 graduates Jalen Dostal, who won first place, and Abigail Mitchel, who won second place.
“I won the award for my student publication project entitled ‘Makers of Wow,” Mitchel said. “The project is a spiral-bound portfolio containing various design pieces I have created during my time as a graphics student. It also features a die-cut cover, pop-out pages, and a variety of folds and colors.”
Additionally, senior Clara Gillum won third place.
“I was awarded second place in the student division of the PIA Graphex awards which was accompanied by a scholarship,” Mitchel said. “The process of entering was very simple as the professors in the GIT department assisted in filling out the online paperwork and mailing the projects in to be judged.”
The competition was sponsored by the Printing Industries of America Midwest Region, which covers Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.