Awards of Excellence winners, from left, are Carl Fox, Sarah Montgomery, and Ben Couvillion.

Senior Mississippi State art majors hold three of five top awards given at a recent regional graphics design competition in Memphis.

Ben Couvillion of Starkville, Carl Fox of Jackson, and Sarah Montgomery of Canton each received Awards of Excellence at the Communigraphic Design Conference.

Now in its 25th year, the Memphis Advertising Federation-sponsored conference annually brings together nationally recognized designers and the regional design community to share ideas, philosophies, and opportunities.

Held at the University of Memphis and the Memphis College of Art, this year's competition included students from universities in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

The Mississippi State winners were among 10 students in associate professor Jamie Mixon's graphic design class to attend the conference.

Created in 1968, the Art Department's studio art curriculum now enrolls some 350 majors.