UTICA — Three Pratt Munson students created the official artwork for the 2027 Heart Run and Walk artwork during a six-hour collaborative design sprint, according to a Sept. 30 release from the American Heart Association.
The selected team included illustration major Raelin Johnston, who served as team leader; education major Adyn-Parker Moffett; and graphic design major Alessandra Alo. Their artwork was unveiled at the event’s executive kickoff luncheon Sept. 30.
The design will appear throughout the 2027 campaign and during event weekend. Organizers also say participants who raise at least $250 will receive a neck gaiter featuring the winning artwork.
The announcement provides the outcome of the student design process previously reported by Utica Phoenix. It shifts the story from an upcoming competition to the students whose collaboration produced the selected graphic.
Six hours to turn ideas into a shared design
Instructor Cindy Buckley Koren introduced a new format for a longstanding collaboration between the art students and the Heart Association. Instead of developing concepts through regular class activities, students took part in a six-hour sprint open to all students, the release says.
Participants first worked on concepts individually. They then formed teams around the strongest ideas. That sequence gave students an opportunity to bring their own ideas to the process before helping shape a collective result.
Professional graphic designers from across the Mohawk Valley provided feedback and critiques during the day. Representatives from the Heart Association and invited judges selected the artwork at the end.
The sprint took place the Saturday before the Sept. 30 announcement. The release does not provide the number of entries, the number of participants or the judges’ scoring system, so those details should not be inferred.
Three students share the credit
The Heart Association identifies Johnston as the team leader, while naming Moffett and Alo as members of the winning group. The finished artwork should therefore be credited to all three students.
Their listed academic interests also show how the project brought together students with different areas of study. Illustration, education and graphic design each appear in the team’s background, according to the release.
That does not establish how individual duties were divided. The announcement does not say which student created a particular visual element, chose the colors or prepared the final production file.
Recognizing the team as a whole avoids turning a collaborative project into a story about only one contributor. It also reflects the format Buckley Koren introduced: individual concepts developed into shared work.
A local tradition with a new approach
The Heart Association says Pratt Munson students have contributed design concepts for years. The 2027 project preserves that relationship while changing how the work was organized.
Executive Chair Kelly Pylinski praised the students’ collaboration and their willingness to respond to professional feedback. In the release, she connected the design process with the broader community spirit of the event.
The project offered a specific public assignment: create artwork that could be used across an established fundraising campaign. Unlike a classroom exercise that ends with a grade, this design will reach participants, sponsors and supporters through event materials.
The public use gives the students’ work a life beyond the design sprint. It also makes careful attribution valuable, so viewers know the names behind the campaign’s graphic.
When the 2027 events will take place
America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk is scheduled for Saturday, March 20, 2027, at Utica University, according to the announcement.
The Healthy for Good Expo and Treadmill Challenge are scheduled for Friday, March 19, at the university’s Clark Athletic Center. These are separate parts of the same event weekend, so participants should note which date applies to the activity they plan to attend.
The release does not list all start times, route details, parking arrangements or participant requirements. Readers should use the official registration page for current information and look for updates as March approaches.
A date announced months ahead is useful for planning. It is not a substitute for reviewing the final event instructions before leaving home.
Who is organizing the campaign
Pylinski, division manager of brand management at NYCM Insurance, is the event’s executive chair. Scott Gwilt of Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield is the logistics chair, and Morgan Mielnicki of Sentinel Media is the Treadmill Challenge chair, the release says.
Listed sponsors include NYCM Insurance, Mohawk Valley Health System, Slocum Dickson Medical Group, WKTV, WIBX and Sentinel Media.
The different roles reflect the range of work involved in a public fundraiser, from campaign leadership to event logistics. The release identifies these leaders but does not describe every volunteer position or organizational responsibility.
People interested in helping should seek the current opportunities through the Heart Association, rather than assume that registration as a participant also registers them for a volunteer assignment.
How to register or support a participant
The official 2027 America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk page provides registration and donation options. It also offers ways to find a participant or team.
Before registering, confirm that the page identifies the 2027 Utica event. Returning participants may have saved links from earlier years, and those should not be assumed to lead to the current campaign.
If joining a team, verify the team’s name before completing registration or making a gift. If donating to an individual, use the participant search so the contribution reaches the intended person’s campaign.
For the neck-gaiter incentive, organizers specify a fundraising threshold of $250 or more. Readers should check the event’s current instructions for fulfillment details, deadlines and how the fundraising total is recorded.
What the announcement means for Utica
This is both an arts story and a community fundraising story. Local students have produced work for a campaign with a visible place in the Mohawk Valley’s calendar.
The design sprint also made the process part of the story. Students received feedback, formed teams and worked toward a deadline before the final choice was announced publicly.
The next stages will move from artwork selection to campaign participation and event planning. Residents can support the fundraiser, learn more through the official page and recognize the three students whose design will help represent the 2027 event.
Sources: American Heart Association release and artwork emailed Sept. 30, 2026; the official 2027 event registration page. Student names, academic majors, campaign incentives and event dates are attributed to the organizers.
Featured image supplied by the American Heart Association.
