By Ayanleye Rodiat
Kwara State University (KWASU) has emerged winner of the student pitch competition held at the Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC) 4.0, organized by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), after scoring 489.5 points to clinch the coveted N1 million cash prize.
The competition featured student teams from Kwara State University (KWASU), the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Rivers State University (RSU), Kaduna State University (KASU), and Lagos State University (LASU), who were tasked with developing and presenting advertising campaign pitches based on a given creative brief.
Participants were challenged to produce campaigns centred on the theme of social cohesion, shared values, and national unity, with judges assessing their understanding of the brief, creativity, strategic thinking, originality, presentation skills, and the practicality of their proposed campaigns.
At the end of the contest, KWASU emerged overall winner with 489.5 points, while the University of Ilorin finished second.
Rivers State University secured third place with 448 points, Kaduna State University came fourth with 447 points, and Lagos State University placed fifth with 371 points, receiving a N250,000 cash prize.
The judges commended the participants for their innovative ideas and ability to translate the competition brief into compelling advertising campaigns, noting that the presentations reflected the quality of talent being nurtured in Nigeria’s higher institutions.
The student pitch competition was one of the major highlights of the Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC) 4.0, themed “The Future of Advertising: Role of Platforms, People and Regulation.”
The initiative was designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry practice by exposing students to real-world advertising challenges and allowing them to receive feedback from experienced professionals.
Speaking through their presentations, the competing teams demonstrated how advertising can serve as a powerful tool for promoting social responsibility, fostering national unity, and creating shared value, reinforcing the role of young creatives in shaping the future of Nigeria’s advertising industry.
