BYU AdLab Student Team Wins Best of Show for Their National Park Service Ad at the International ANDY Awards
For the last 60 years, the annual International ANDY Awards have been held to search for the most impressive and creative works in advertising, honoring winners and student winners with prestigious awards from a panel of high-caliber judges.
The 2026 International ANDY Awards winners, including student honorees, were announced this April. A student team from BYU’s AdLab took home Best in Show for its web film, "Animal Territory," created for the National Park Service. The team won $10,000 for the project.
Communications professor Jeff Sheets, whose students worked on the project, explained how the AdLab is run and highlighted the work the students produced.
“The AdLab is our student-led, faculty-mentored ad agency at BYU where we work on professional projects for the world’s top brands and non-profits,” Sheets said. “In the AdLab, you start by finding a business problem to solve and an insight about the world, culture and audience, and then create an idea that would be the most creative solution to that problem by inspiring people to think, feel or do.”
One of the winning students, Emmi Wilson, spoke about her involvement in the AdLab.
“An old friend joined the AdLab while she was at BYU and encouraged me to try it out. After the intro class with Pat Doyle, I was hooked,” Wilson said. “Jeff Sheets hosted a class focused on making work for awards shows, so thanks to him, we knew where to submit our spot.”
Wilson explained the creative process behind their award-winning ad and the work that went into making the final product.
“I grew up visiting Yellowstone almost every year, and my dad would share stories of visitors being reckless with wildlife and putting themselves in harm's way, so a PSA felt appropriate,” Wilson said. “I truly had the most incredible team. Kylee Myers, Lauren Kubricky and I considered the National Park Service's brand and knew we wanted to try something silly and absurd. With all of our different experiences, we were able to build our ideas into a larger campaign.”
Once the team had their kernel idea, they built on it, with each student contributing their unique talents and skills.
“Lauren had the brilliant idea of using the children's ‘Bear Hunt’ song,” Wilson said. “Then Zack Wood and David Weibell added their expertise in film and editing, and the five of us had the most exhausting but fun set.”
Even though each person held a specific title on the project, Wilson shared that the team worked more like a unit.
“What made this project so successful was that everyone ignored their titles and instead put on the hat of teammate," Wilson said. “We helped each other out even if it did not fit our role.”
That camaraderie became the most rewarding aspect of the whole project for Wilson and made the long days easier.
“The most rewarding part was everyone choosing to have fun on set,” Wilson said. “It can take a long time, with lots of early mornings and late nights for post-production editing. But everyone had the best attitude and really wanted to make something great.”
Wilson connected the experience she gained from this project to her adventures as a new graduate navigating the workplace.
“Working on this ad taught me that the best ideas come from high-energy brainstorming,” Wilson said. “I start a full-time position as a copywriter at an advertising agency next month and thanks to this project, I know that when I am giggling at an idea before it is even made, it is going to be good.”
When all is said and done, as Wilson reflects on her time with the AdLab and winning at the ANDY Awards, she is grateful for all of the people who supported her.
“My biggest takeaway from this is gratitude,” Wilson said. “None of this could have been done without Professor Cutri pushing us to make our idea even better, or Professor Doyle putting up with our bad ideas from the start, or Professor Sheets vouching for us as we try to enter the scary world of post-grad. All five of us students are individually gifted, but the AdLab program made us even better.”
Professor Sheets shared his own gratitude for his students and the professional work they produced and presented to esteemed judges, while also making the world a better and safer place.
“It is nothing short of remarkable to have won the International Best in Show award and have your students be so well received by the brightest creative minds in advertising,” Sheets said. “These students have really done a great job of using their God-given creative talents and magnifying them to make messages that matter and can help the world around us.”
Watch their ad below!