Ad Stars Announces 2021 Finalists Shortlist

AD STARS has revealed this year’s finalists with Japan, Australia, Thailand, China and Korea scoring the highest number of finalists at the AD STARS 2021 Awards. Overall, 1,726 finalists from 54 countries made the shortlist, which equates to approximately 9% of total entries.  

All shortlisted entries are now in the running to win two Grand Prix of the Year trophies and a cheque for US$10,000. Winners will be announced online on 27th August on the final day of the AD STARS Online Festival, which runs from 25th – 27th August. 

“The Brand Experience & Activation category is more important than ever before, with a rise in entries of 30% over the past five years. It has been difficult to go out and communicate in person face-to-face due to the pandemic, so we saw many innovative campaigns that use technologies  like AR and VR to solve the problem," says Chloe Moon, head of awards at AD STARS. 

Mariana Albuquerque, global creative director at MediaMonks/Circus in Brazil, was one of 240 Preliminary Judges who selected this year’s shortlist: “It was amazing to see the diversity of films produced all over the globe, but especially Asia. What stood out to me was the quality of  animation in the film category, and films that were entertaining, instead of a manifesto.” 

Gustavo Nardini, creative director at FOUNDRY Berlin, adds: “Amidst the chaos and uncertainty that took over the whole world since last year, the work presented this year showed me how creativity is still our best weapon against anything we face. What would I love to see less of next year? Less corona-related entries – that would mean this is finally behind us.” 

The agency networks with the highest number of finalists are: Dentsu (112 finalists); Ogilvy (108 finalists); BBDO Worldwide (78 finalists); Cheil (72 finalists) and Leo Burnett (66 finalists).  

The five countries with the highest number of finalists include:  

JAPAN: 

• Dentsu Inc. / Dentsu Craft Tokyo / Dentsu Digital / Dentsu Isobar Inc. / Dentsu Kyushu / Dentsu West  Japan – 76 finalists 
• Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo – 16 finalists  
• AKQA Japan and McCann Health Japan – 11 finalists each 
• Enjin Tokyo, TBWA Hakuhodo and SIX INC. – nine finalists each 

AUSTRALIA:  

• Ogilvy Australia – 34 finalists 
• GoodOil – 20 finalists  
• DDB Sydhey – 19 finalists 
• Thinkerbell – 16 finalists 
• Deloitte Australia – 12 finalists 

THAILAND 

• Wunderman Thompson Thailand – 29 finalists 
• Ogilvy Group Thailand – 20 finalists  
• BBDO Bangkok – 19 finalists 
• GREYnJ United – 14 finalists 
• Leo Burnett Group Thailand – nine finalists 

CHINA 

• Tencent – 18 finalists 
• TBWA\China – 16 finalists  
• inyoung – 12 finalists 
• F5 Shanghai – eight finalists 
• The Nine – seven finalists 

REPUBLIC OF KOREA:  

• Cheil Worldwide – 32 finalists 
• Innocean Worldwide – 14 finalists 
• DminusOne and HS AD – 13 finalists  
• SK Telecom – eight finalists 
• Daehong Communications & IDEOT – six finalists 

Completing the top 10 countries with the highest number of finalists are: 

• Philippines – 96 finalists  
• United Arab Emirates – 87 finalists 
• Brazil – 61 finalists  
• Indonesia – 59 finalists  
• Singapore – 58 finalists 

Regarding the top five categories, there are 205 finalists in Film; 173 finalists in Design; 124 finalists in Print; 98 finalists in Brand Experience & Activation; and 88 Interactive finalists. There  are also 55 finalists in the Pivot category for work created in response to the coronavirus  pandemic. 

AD STARS offers a category for Non-Professionals to encourage students and non professionals with a passion for commercial creativity to further their careers. From 2,920 entries, there are 151 finalists.  

All shortlisted entries will now proceed to the Final Judging stage. Winners will be announced online on 27th August. View the complete shortlist here.