Southern Adventist University Students Awarded in Regional and National Competitions
News
Students from academic disciplines across the campus of Southern Adventist University excelled in competitions at both regional and national levels during the Winter 2026 semester. Multiple awards won reflect months of preparation and hard work as well as a united commitment to use God-given talents to help make the world a better place.
“These achievements reflect far more than competitive success—they demonstrate the dedication, creativity, and Christ-centered purpose that characterize a Southern Adventist University education,” says Bob Young, senior vice president for Academic Administration. “Our students are developing the knowledge, professional skills, and character needed to serve with excellence in their chosen fields, while our faculty are investing deeply in mentoring them toward lives of meaningful influence. We celebrate these accomplishments because they reflect our mission of preparing graduates who will use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world.”
Business
School of Business teams signed on for two competitions this year—the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Enactus USA National Exposition in Denver, Colorado.
For the CFA challenge, four finance majors spent many weeks researching stocks and creating a presentation for the February competition, placing second out of 11 teams.
At the Enactus exposition in April, three teams from Southern pitched ventures addressing real-world challenges, with two advancing to the finals and one placing in the top four nationally.
Computing
Over spring break in March, six students from the School of Computing participated in the annual SkillsUSA State Competition in Chattanooga. Teams of two were challenged to fix broken websites for mock clients, which involved six hours of debugging and redesigning. Southern students placed first, second, and third in the web design and development category at the state level, and the first-place team advanced to the national championship, again taking the top prize in the category.
Engineering
Southern’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student chapter won third place out of 33 teams from universities across the Southeast in a circuit design competition at IEEE SoutheastCon 2026. Tyson Hall, PhD, dean of the School of Engineering and Physics, notes that it was quite an accomplishment, especially since this was Southern’s first year to participate.
Visual Art and Design
Students from the School of Visual Art and Design (SVAD) earned accolades at three different competitions during the semester.
At Chattanooga’s American Advertising Awards, Southern students earned nine awards, including Best of Show for animation and special effects, one of the most valued prizes of the event.
The Sonscreen Film Festival in Loma Linda, California, brought SVAD students seven film awards, including Best in Show, and four animation honors. The first and second place awards for the pitch competition were also given to Southern film production majors.
On a broader level, The Son of Abraham, a senior thesis short film project, won two Angel Awards at the 2026 International Christian Film and Music Festival. The film was created in partnership with Hope Studios and is intended to support missionary outreach through visual storytelling.
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