Three Awards for ADÜ Visual Communication Design Graduates at the TRT Future Communicators Competition

Graduates of the Department of Visual Communication Design at ADU Faculty of Communication achieved a significant success by winning first place, second place, and the TRT Special Award at the TRT Future Communicators Competition.

In the TRT Future Communicators Competition, organized by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) to support the original and innovative work of young communicators, graduates of the Department of Visual Communication Design at the Faculty of Communication at Aydın Adnan Menderes University (ADÜ) won three awards. Among the graduates competing in the Digital Product Development category, Betül Gökçin won first place, Damla Can won second place, and Elif Ömeroğlu was awarded the TRT Special Award.

In the 2026 competition, which received 2,045 entries from 2,081 students at 141 universities, 167 contestants from 41 universities advanced to the finals with 133 works following the preliminary evaluation. The fact that graduates of ADÜ’s Department of Visual Communication Design advanced to the finals with their graduation projects and won three awards at once underscored the department’s success in the fields of design and digital communication.

First Place Award for Betül Gökçin

Betül Gökçin, who won first place in the Digital Product Development category, aimed to contribute to the educational processes of children with dyslexia through the ULEXY project, which she developed under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Behiç Alp Aytekin. Designed for children aged 7–12, the platform brings children, parents, and teachers together in the same digital environment, offering an inclusive and accessible solution that supports reading, writing, and learning processes.

Second Place Award for Damla Can

Damla Can, who won second place in the same category, designed the “Lunno – A Bond Built Through Play” project—developed under the guidance of Prof. Barış Atiker—based on her experiences with her brother Oğuz Alp, who has autism. Aimed at children with autism and their families, the project aims to support children’s attention, visual perception, fine motor skills, and sensory regulation processes through original characters and mini-games.

Elif Ömeroğlu Wins the TRT Special Award

Elif Ömeroğlu, who won the TRT Special Award, focused on the social and communication challenges faced by migrants through her “ROD” project, developed under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Behiç Alp Aytekin. Created under the slogan “Be someone else,” the project was designed as a digital solidarity platform aimed at helping overcome difficulties in areas such as language, health, official procedures, and a sense of belonging. By enabling users to share their experiences and support one another, ROD combines social awareness with digital communication design.