Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, received 13 Hermes Creative Awards and three American Business Awards for college planning and financial literacy initiatives. The company’s annual research report, “How America Pays for College 2017,” was also recognized.

The “How America Pays for College 2017” study conducted by Sallie Mae and Ipsos earned both a Hermes Platinum Creative Award and a Silver Stevie from the American Business Awards for Best White Paper or Research Report. The study looks at undergraduate families' attitudes toward college, how much they spent, and the sources they used to pay for it.

Sallie Mae’s 2017 Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program, which awarded $125,000 to five high school students from across the country, earned a Hermes Platinum Creative Award for the overall campaign and a Bronze Stevie from the American Business Awards for Brand Experience of the Year. Documentaries filmed in the recipients’ hometowns received a Hermes Platinum Creative Award. Two additional Hermes Gold Creative Awards, including one for a video highlighting Sallie Mae employee fundraising, were given.

The company’s “Dee-1’s Knowledge for College Tour,” a collaboration with educator-turned-hip-hop-artist Dee-1, which brought awareness to the importance of planning for college and financial literacy, earned two Hermes Platinum Creative Awards. Sallie Mae’s “Make College Happen Challenge” campaign and Facebook Live event won a Gold Stevie for Events and Live Webcasts and a Gold Hermes Creative Award. The company also earned two Hermes Gold Creative Awards for the recently revised “About Us” section on SallieMae.com and three honorable mention awards.

“Through our research, scholarship campaigns, college planning tours, videos, and website, we have an opportunity to connect aspiring students with tools and resources to help them save, plan, and pay for college,” said Martha Holler, senior vice president, Sallie Mae. “Our team’s creativity and commitment to our mission of making college happen are captured in the award-winning work they create each day.”

The Hermes Creative Awards honors creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, and design of marketing and communication materials for external or internal audiences. Administered and judged by senior-level, experienced professionals from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, entries are organized into nearly 200 categories and ranked on creativity as well as available resources, based on the capacity of the individuals, companies, and organizations who enter the competition.

Established in 2002, the Stevie Awards are a global competition recognizing businesses for premier achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide.

For more information on saving, planning, and paying for college, visit SallieMae.com.

Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.