The National Student Show & Conference
Helping undergraduates become successful creative professionals
The National Student Show & Conference (NSSC) is a professionally judged creative
competition and three-day conference built for students and their educators.
The Show
Five judges select the best student work and
award $20,000 in scholarships and cash prizes.
Call for Entries
February 15, 2020
Rules & Categories
The Conference
1 show | 3 days | 3 keynotes
12 studio tours | 15 breakout sessions
30+ companies at portfolio review and job fair
Save the Date
April 2–4, 2020
Get your ticket
The Show
Featuring two new scholarships
$2,500
Richard Patrick Memorial Photography Scholarship
$1,000
Bart Forbes Illustrator Masters Scholarship
Judged by industry leaders
Jennifer Morla
With over 300 awards of excellence, she has
been recognized by virtually every organization
in the field of visual communication. She is the
recipient of design’s most honored awards:
the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
National Design Award and the AIGA Medal.
Her work has been published extensively, most
notably in Meggs’ History of Graphic Design.
Clients include Levi Strauss, Herman Miller,
Stanford University, SculptureCenter, and Design
Within Reach. Her work is part of many permanent
museum collections including the Museum of
Modern Art in New York (MoMA), the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) and the
Smithsonian Museum. She has been honored with
solo design exhibitions at the SFMoMA and the
DDD Gallery in Japan.
She served on the National Board of Directors of
AIGA, is on the Accessions Board for Architecture
and Design at SFMoMA, and has been judging the
Webby Awards for over a decade.
Sebron Snyder
A professional photographer now since the early ‘90s, Sebron's current focus is on editorial and advertising portraiture. He also creates conceptual images, anchored in just the right amount of truth; constantly searching for ways to bend reality in creative and subtle ways. He is known to capture the essence of his subject's personality and exposes the cleverness and beauty of the profound and the mundane. Sebron has also served as a freelance Art Director and Designer for local creative firms. This experience as a former art director, has allowed Sebron to bring his vast commercial art experience to his present work.
The Conference
Three days of exclusive content
Past speakers
Keynote speakers who motivate and inspire
David Carson
David Carson Design
Read Bio
David Carson
David Carson Design
A renowned Design and Creative Director, David Carson has worked with the worlds largest agencies on a variety of projects. As worldwide Creative Director / Bose corp he managed a team of over 100 , executing campaigns for digital, tv +print. Currently David is finishing up a 10 month run as "artist in residence " at agency 72andsunny, +ready to join a great creative team in need of a design director in 2018.
Often asked to speak to a broad range of industries, (be it automakers, agencies to creative groups),
David shares his experiences and how he continues to push the envelop. David knows how to inspire and what it takes to build an effective team. He's humble, engaged and willing to listen.
Stephen Gates
InVision Head of Design Transformation
Read Bio
Stephen Gates
InVision Head of Design Transformation
Stephen is currently the Head of Design Transformation at InVision where he works with their partners to weave together the best methodologies, practices, and tools into comprehensive, customized strategies that elevate the business impact of design within every company. He previously worked at McCann Erickson, Citi and Starwood Hotels building teams that created award-winning global advertising campaigns, multiple Fortune 100 brands, and innovative digital experiences. His work has received over 150 international awards, his app design has been named as one of the World's 100 Greatest Apps, HOW Magazine named him #17 on the 100 of the most talented and influential creatives working today, Apple has featured his work in 10 keynotes and more. He shares what he has learned through his speaking engagements and The Crazy One podcast which is an in-depth exploration of issues that matter to creatives including leadership, creativity, career development, innovation and more.
