University News Last updated 12 April 2017
Birmingham City University students have been named among the most talented new creatives in the Midlands - picking up awards and work placements in the process.
Eight students from Birmingham City University’s Schools of Media, Business and Visual Communication were named winners at the B-Hive Creative Design Competition Awards, while more than 10 others have been handed opportunities to gain real-world industry experience.
Rosie Clarke claimed first place in the Design category. Abigail Bills, Chloe Dudley, Elio Delgado and James Barnsley were named winners in Marketing. Madeleine McCrann-Smith won the PR category, while Nora Al Hindi and Henry Bartonwong scooped the top awards in Advertising.
The other students will all be given the opportunity to put their work into practice during placements with some of the region’s top creative agencies.
B-Hive aims to support the next generation of creative and marketing talent by providing opportunities for budding talent to gain experience alongside their studies and honouring those whose work reaches professional standards.
Students were tasked with drawing up ideas to fit a realistic brief before presenting their ideas to an expert panel in a Dragon’s Den style pitch.
Winners were then selected based on their creativity, ability to meet the guidelines and the quality of their pitch, with the eight Birmingham City University students each taking top prize in their respective categories.
Madeleine McCrann-Smith from Owestry in Shropshire who took first place in the PR category, said: “I entered after being encouraged by my PR tutor, I felt like I couldn't turn down the chance to pitch in front of industry professionals.
“Even getting shortlisted was a massive deal. It really is such an amazing opportunity, and I'm so grateful that I had the chance to do it.
Rosie Clarke who won the Design category said: "B-HIVE has given me a fantastic opportunity to present ideas, gain professional feedback and has increased my confidence in my design work, resulting in winning exciting placements at a number of top Birmingham based agencies."
The awards were judged by leading industry professionals from 22 agencies and brands across the region, with the winners named by Ollie Purdom of Pitch Consultants, organisers of the B-Hive event.
Ollie Purdom said: "B-Hive rewards the very best student talent. It’s not an opportunity to give away work placements; the awards are based entirely on merit and the judges have high expectations.
“This year’s presentations were some of the best we’ve seen since we set the scheme up. All categories saw some outstanding presentations, with judges in the advertising category unanimous that it was the best quality they’d seen to date."