D&AD and Advertising Week collaboration highlights creativity with positive social impact from businesses around the world
76 D&AD Impact Pencils awarded at New York Ceremony
DDB Mudra Group and NGO Prerana Anti-Trafficking announced as winners of the inaugural $20,000 Impact prize fund for Project Free Period with Stayfree India / Johnson & Johnson
Themes of sustainability, diversity and inclusion feature prominently in most awarded work
Leading figures from the worlds of business, advertising, design and philanthropy have tonight gathered at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 in New York City to hear the winners of the third annual D&AD Impact Awards.
D&AD Impact recognizes the best in creative work that has a real social impact, celebrating ideas that contribute towards a better and more sustainable future. During the New York Ceremony, shortlisted entrants found out if they won a coveted D&AD Impact Pencil, as well as which entrant was awarded the inaugural $20,000 prize fund.
In total, 76 D&AD Impact Pencils were awarded to campaigns, projects and products addressing some of the most pressing issues in the world today.
This year, entries demonstrated a focus on issues of environmental sustainability and inclusion - reflected in the line-up of projects that took home the top awards. Eight White Pencils, one of the highest accolades for world-changing creativity, were handed out. Two Black Pencils, which are reserved for truly groundbreaking work, were awarded to the following projects:
Black Supermarket by Marcel Paris for Carrefour
Palau Pledge by Host/Havas for Palau Legacy Project
The full list of White and Black Pencil winners can be viewed at the end of this press release. The number of Pencils awarded at each level were:
2 Black Pencils
8 White Pencils
17 Graphite Pencils
49 Wood Pencils (12 of which were for beta products and programmes by businesses looking to scale their initiatives, like Dot Mini, the first smart device for the visually impaired created by Serviceplan and the Dot corporation, and ProxyAddress by Hildrey Studio, which helps those facing homelessness maintain access to support even after they have lost an address.)
New to D&AD Impact in 2018 is the introduction of a $20,000 prize fund open for prototypes, products and projects from a range of categories. The cash prize was awarded to DDB Mudra Group and the organization Prerana Anti-Trafficking for their Project Free Period initiative. The project, developed with feminine hygiene brand Stayfree India / Johnson & Johnson, supports women in the sex trade to build vocational skills to allow them to sustain themselves in new lines of work.
The 2018 D&AD Impact Council who judged the work included William Seabrook (Global Chief Creative Officer, IBM), Neil Blumenthal (CEO, Warby Parker), Marcus East (CTO, National Geographic), Kwame Taylor-Hayford (MD, Chobani), Aaron Gershenberg (Founder of Silicon Valley Bank Fund of Funds), KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz (CEO and Founder, Sustainable Brands), Gal Barradas (Former CEO, BETC Brasil), Deborah Alden (MD, WeWork) and Claudia Romo Edelman (Special Adviser to Global Chief of Public Advocacy, UNICEF).
Speaking at D&AD Impact Judging, Claudia Romo Edelman said: “I am delighted to be back at the D&AD Impact Awards, particularly at a time when there’s a growing market for consumers and voters and people that are engaging in purpose. It’s important to have such a relevant category of awards to incentivise a creative industry from all sectors, not just creatives and agencies, but also technology startups and all the different sectors that can be part of this. The work that I have been seeing is amazing. I’ve seen a huge number of creatives that are scalable and have the power to change legislation that can really bring a sense of change in society.”
This year, 40 shortlisted companies were also offered places on the D&AD Impact Academy - a masterclass program held on September 27 that aims to inspire talent and provide tangible tools based on the experience and knowledge of the D&AD Impact Council. Companies that earned a place at the Academy included Selman Design, Hildrey Studio and Aether-Tech. Sessions at the Academy were delivered by speakers including iProspect’s Joanna Catalano, Ideo’s Roshi Givechi and BitFury’s Bill Tai.
The awards were hosted by Franchesca Ramsey, an American actor, activist, comedian and video blogger with over 29 million views on YouTube and over half a million followers across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay said: “In today’s social climate, consumers are more conscious of the brands and companies they support; expecting them to contribute to wider societal issues. D&AD Impact celebrates the creativity and campaigns from businesses that are trying to create a better future for us all. This year, we’re going the extra mile to make sure these businesses are supported in their ideas by introducing our £20,000 prize fund. I am eager to see what the future holds for our winners.”
Matt Scheckner Global CEO of Advertising Week - Stillwell Partners said: “Brands that embrace real world issues that transcend our industry and actually improve people’s lives represent the very best of what advertising does. Moreover, connecting the head to the heart is good for business. Advertising Week is proud to honor those who embrace issues like environmental sustainability, humanitarian aid, diversity, and education and to shine a light on great campaigns and stories which truly deserve broader recognition.”
The D&AD Impact Black and White Pencil winners were:
Award
Winning Agency
Winning Organization
Winning Work
Category
Black Pencil
Marcel Paris
Carrefour
Black Supermarket
Responsible Retail
Black Pencil
Host/Havas
Palau Legacy Project
Palau Pledge
Environmental Sustainability
White Pencil
AMVBBDO
Essity Libresse/Bodyform
bloodnormal
Diversity and Inclusivity
White Pencil
FCB Inferno
Change Please
Change Please
Responsible Retail
White Pencil
FCB/SIX
PFLAG Canada
Destination Pride
Equality
White Pencil
J.Walter Thompson Paris
Freedom Voices Network
Forbidden Stories
Community & Interaction
White Pencil
Maruri Grey
Sambito
Nature Represented
Environmental Sustainability
White Pencil
McCann NY
March For Our Lives
Price For Our Lives
Civic Engagement
White Pencil
BBDO New York
P&G
The Talk
Equality
White Pencil
AMVBBDO
LADBible/The Plastic Oceans Foundation
Trash Isles
Ocean Health & Wildlife
To see all the D&AD Impact 2018 winners, visit: www.dandadimpact.com/winners/2018
ENDS
For more information, including interviews with D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay, please contact:
Ann Amarawansa | Common Industry | ann@commonindustry.co.uk | +44 (0)7858 132 658
Matt Gurr | Common Industry | matt@commonindustry.co.uk | +44 (0)7734 465 030
For interviews with Matt Scheckner at Advertising Week please contact:
Annik Spencer | Sunshine Sachs | spencer@sunshinesachs.com | (508) 243-1919
ABOUT
Winners
Winners received a D&AD Impact White Pencil, the premier accolade for creativity that has positive social impact, and for truly game-changing work, a coveted D&AD Impact Black Pencil was awarded. Runners-up received a Wood or Graphite Pencil, and all D&AD Impact Pencil winners will be included in D&AD case studies and Advertising Week Thought Leadership opportunities.
The Twelve Categories
Civic Engagement
Communication & Interaction
Equality
Diversity & Inclusivity
Education
Environmental Sustainability
Financial Empowerment
Health & Wellness
Humanitarian Aid
Ocean Health & Wildlife
Responsible Retail
Smart Living