University of Hawaiʻi students received top honors for their creative excellence at the 2025 Pele Awards, a statewide competition hosted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hawaiʻi to celebrate outstanding achievement in advertising and design.
Kapiʻolani Community College’s New Media Arts (NMA) program earned 13 of the 16 awards presented in the college division this year. Students from Kapiʻolani CC, UH Mānoa, and UH West Oʻahu earned awards across categories, including packaging, editorial design, logo development, interactive media, and illustration.
Best of Show
Among this year’s honorees, Kapiʻolani CC student Emiri Miyaji received College Best of Show, the top award in the college division, for her branding and packaging project, Sweet Tooth Dessert House. This marks the eighth time a Kapiʻolani CC New Media Arts student has won this award, and the second consecutive year the college has earned the title. Miyaji also received Pele Gold for the same project and a $1,500 scholarship through the Nella Media Group Network and Eleven 17 Creative Scholarship Program.
“As a beginner designer, building confidence can be tough, so having my work recognized by industry professionals I admire was truly an honor,” Miyaji said. “This project was my final submission for school, and with complete creative freedom, it was a joy to create. My habit of closely observing the world around me—whether through travel or simply appreciating everyday signage—sharpened my design instincts and gave me a rich pool of ideas to draw from during brainstorming.”
National award
In addition to student recognitions at the state level, Kapiʻolani CC student Hanna Shibata received a national AAF award in the category of online and interactive website (desktop or mobile) for her project S. Neil Fujita’s Visionary Fusion.
“As an experienced designer who decided to challenge myself and expand my creativity in different disciplines, it is humbling to hear that my achievement is recognized at such a high level,” said Shibata. “I also believe it’s a testimony to the quality of education the NMA program that Kapiʻolani CC provides. Learning at the New Media Arts program was an eye-opening, inspiring experience for me. The faculty was supportive, and my cohort was great people to work with.”
Across the UH System
Karen Brizendine, a 2013 graduate of Kapiʻolani CC, was also honored with the AAF Hawaiʻi 2025 Extra Mile Award for her contribution to the local advertising and media industry as a freelance animator, motion graphics editor and visual effects artist.
UH Mānoa School of Cinematic Arts student Tiffany Liu earned two bronze Pele Awards for her short film Confidence, which she wrote, directed, produced, and edited. The film, which follows a hip-hop dancer confronting her insecurities just before an international dance showcase, was recognized in the Film/Video & Sound and Elements of Advertising categories.
Atash Imanverdi, a student at the UH West Oʻahu Academy for Creative Media earned a silver Pele Award in the Logo Design category for Ululani’s Shave Ice – Rebrand.
2025 Pele Award Recipients
Emiri Miyaji (Pele Gold & Best in Show)
Project: Sweet Tooth Dessert House
Medium: Packaging
Kapiʻolani Community College
Winner of $1,500 cash scholarship from the NMG Network & Eleven 17 Creative Scholarship Program
Angelica Palilio (Pele Silver)
Project: Araw
Medium: Packaging
Kapiʻolani Community College
Alysha Cayabyab (Pele Bronze)
Project: Book Trilogy Covers
Medium: Cover/Editorial Spread or Feature Series
Kapiʻolani Community College
Tiffany Liu (Pele Bronze)
Project: Confidence
Medium: Cinematography
University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa
Tiffany Liu (Pele Bronze)
Project: Confidence
Medium: Television Advertising – Single
University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa
Amy Rhee (Pele Silver)
Project: Fin & Tin
Medium: Packaging
Kapiʻolani Community College
Gabriella Abbey (Pele Bronze)
Project: Frenzi Seafood Festival
Medium: Collateral Material – Special Event Materials
Kapiʻolani Community College
Hoang Ho (Pele Bronze)
Project: Megalace Boot
Medium: Illustration
Kapiʻolani Community College
Hanna Shibata (Pele Gold)
Project: Musica Sake
Medium: Packaging
Kapiʻolani Community College
Michael Fiocco (Pele Gold)
Project: Puerto Escondido Logo
Medium: Logo Design
Kapiʻolani Community College
Amy Rhee (Pele Gold)
Project: Purrch – Mobile App
Medium: Online/Interactive: App (Mobile or Web-Based)
Kapiʻolani Community College
Hanna Shibata (Pele Gold)
Project: S. Neil Fujita’s Visionary Fusion
Medium: Online/Interactive: Website (desktop or mobile)
Kapiʻolani Community College
Emiri Miyaji (Pele Gold)
Project: Sweet Tooth Dessert House
Medium: Logo Design
Kapiʻolani Community College
Jackilyn Choy (Pele Gold)
Project: The Tapeworm Is In
Medium: Cover
Kapiʻolani Community College
Vivian Bui (Pele Bronze)
Project: This is Love by Phoebe Judge
Medium: Cover/Editorial Spread or Feature Series
Kapiʻolani Community College
Atash Imanverdi (Pele Silver)
Project: Ululani’s Shave Ice – Rebrand
Medium: Logo Design
University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu
