Success never gets old for the top winners in the Amer­ican Advertising Federa­tion-Montgomery's ADDY Awards.

Leon Barwick of Copperw­ing Design was named the Copywriter of the Year, and Camille Leonard of LWT Communications was the Designer of the Year.

It was the fourth such award for Barwick, dating back more than a decade. Leonard was the top design­er in the Montgomery for the fifth straight year. Both said winning the awards doesn't get boring, no matter how of­ten it happens.

For Barwick, it is confir­mation that his entire team is doing something right.

"I am proud to work with the people I work with," he said. "I consider the award collaborative. It represents all of us."

Leonard, an almost 26-year veteran at LWT, said the awards carry cachet with the firm's clients.

"We are proud of what we do for them," she said.

"It is an affirmation that we are doing the best job we can for clients."

She said one of the cam­paigns that won LWT hon­ors this year brought special joy to the office. LWT's work for the Footprints Ministry was special because it was part of the firm's annual 24-hour Createathon.

Each year, the firm selects a small number of non-profit agencies to help with mar­keting campaigns. Employ­ees work around the clock to get the projects done.

"We are so grateful to have the 24-hour window," she said. "It really means a lot to them, and we feel like it was our best work."

Both said they felt like their job was to express a cli­ent's message through words or images rather than to win awards.

"I wish there was a catego­ry for campaigns that were the most effective," Leonard said.

As it is, she said she learns what message a client wants to present, then tries to piece it together in something that looks good.

"My job is a problem-solv­er," she said. "I like to solve the puzzle. It is always fun to know as much about a client as you can."

Barwick said understand­ing the client is where he starts on his projects as well.

"I am always thinking strategically," he said.

He looks to the client for three main pieces of inform­ation.

"I am looking for what you have to say, who is listening and what is needed from the project," he said.

"The second part is get­ting attention. You have got to make it memorable."

That is where he said teamwork kicks in.

"It is not just the words," he said. "It is the whole package."

While the agency winners get more than a little satis­faction out of the awards, they said the clients really like it as well.

Leonard said LWT regu­larly gets positive feedback from clients who saw their projects win awards.

"They do notice," she said.

Gold award winners are automatically entered in the Southeast district competi­tion and Silver winners are eligible to enter.