Mississippi State students hold top honors in an annual regional graphic design competition coordinated by the American Advertising Federation.

At the recent 2000 Student Talent Advertising Recognition (STAR) Awards program, MSU students won three of the top six awards and a total of 57 additional awards.

From 274 entries, judges presented a total of 108 honors to students in public and private college and university art programs in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

"Our students took 53 percent of the regional awards," said Art Department head Brent Funderburk. "This is the fifth straight year MSU talent has been at the top in AAF shows."

Mississippi State students were honored in the categories of photography, logo, editorial layout/design, letterhead/stationery, menu, campaign, color illustration, brochure, poster, book design/layout, album/cassette/CD cover, miscellaneous print, packaging/label design, newspaper advertising, television, and potpourri.

MSU's art program, which began in 1968 and grew to become the state's largest, supports local chapters of the American Institute of Graphic Artists and OKSIGGRAPH, the regional chapter of the ACM Special Interest Groups in Computer Graphics.