Edinburgh College student Jonathan Walton was chosen as Creative Student of the Year at the Marketing Society Star Awards held in Glasgow last night.
Former physicist Jonathan fought off competition from five other nominees – including fellow student Katy Johnson – to take the coveted award thanks to his impressive campaign encouraging 16-25 year olds to visit and responsibly use Scotland’s Natural Nature Reservations.
The brief was to increase the number of young people visiting NNRs in a fun, engaging and inspirational way and Jonathan’s campaign ‘U in the Wild – Your Own Festival Outdoors’ focuses on experiencing your own ‘sensory festival’ in Scotland’s great outdoors in a clever spoof of the T in the Park music festival campaign.
Jonathan recently completed his HND in Visual Communications at Edinburgh College and is now planning to set up his own marketing design business in the city.
He said:-“I’m interested in how marketing, design and communication can help address environmental and social issues in the digital age. I’m so pleased to have won as the competition was tough and of course it’s great to have your creative ideas acknowledged in this way. It’s all thanks to the fantastic quality of the training provided by Edinburgh College that I’m in this position at all so I’m very grateful to the college.”
Jonathan is now moving into Leith’s Creative Exchange, a new business incubator for start-up creative companies set up by Edinburgh College and City of Edinburgh Council, after also recently winning a year’s free space at the facility in a competition to design the new Creative Exchange brand.
Jonathan’s tutor Helena Good says: “The Marketing Society Star Awards are an important demonstration of Scotland’s marketing talent. I’m so proud of Jonathan and Katy for being nominated and it is wonderful news that Jonathan was successful last night. Their success is an illustration of the highly motivated and employable students that we are dedicated to producing here at the college.”
An Edinburgh College student, Steven Brown, also won the prize last year and Edinburgh College is the only one in Scotland offered the chance to submit students to the awards, with all other nominees being at degree or post graduate level. The other nominees included three from Dundee DJCAD and one from Glasgow School of Art.
Peter Sandstrom, Chair of the Marketing Society Star Awards, said: “The judges faced some incredibly tough decisions this year because of the outstanding examples across all categories. This year’s winners were those who burned the brightest and really showcase just how vibrant and creative the Scottish marketing sector is. Their exceptional campaigns reflect the central role marketing plays within business and the community in Scotland – congratulations to all our winners!”
The award sponsor is Union Direct.
– Submitted by Samantha McKay-Challen
