Finals

The last and final round of the NSAC competition is Finals. This year's competition will be held at the Hilton Austin in Austin, TX, May 28–31, 2026. Only the top eight teams who qualify will compete in the Finals, moving the best of the best forward. During the Finals, the judges’ panel considers the plans book and presentation score sheets, reflects on the work of all teams and determines the rankings. All finalist team presentations will be available to view during ADMERICA, and the 1st- through 3rd-place winners will be announced during the National Student Advertising Competition Luncheon.

Awards & Prizes

The top three teams will be awarded with trophies and cash prizes: 1st place $5,000; 2nd place $3,000; and 3rd place $2,000.

Additional prizes and awards will also be distributed:

AAF District 7 
Bolton-MacVicar Best Presenter Award
Every year judges select an individual student whom they felt did the most outstanding job in their presentation and rewards him/her with a $500 cash prize.

AAF District 10
Jeanie Ruedy Best Presentation Team Award
This award and the $4,000 prize will be given to the team that the judges had the best collective presentation.

AdMall by SalesFuel
Best Research Award
This award includes a $1,000 grant and a trophy, and is given to a finalist team who has demonstrated the best marketing research in their NSAC presentation and plans book.

The Lumie Award
This award and the $2,500 prize will be awarded to the team demonstrating the most interactive and creative application of Lumiere and its features in their NSAC presentation and plans book.

This award includes a $1,500 cash prize and a trophy to the team with the best application of research demonstrated in their NSAC presentation and plans book.