D&AD Awards 129 Pencils Across Impact, Side Hustle, Next and Craft Categories
D&AD today reveals the Pencil winners for entries across the Impact, Side Hustle, Next and Craft categories in the first round of Pencils for the 2020 D&AD Awards. The news follows the organisation’s recent announcement to continue their prestigious annual Awards programme despite disruptions caused by the global Coronavirus outbreak.
Since 1962, D&AD has stimulated, celebrated and enabled creative excellence and will continue to support the creative community through this period of unprecedented uncertainty. The 2020 Awards recognise creative excellence from the past year in the belief that great work is always worthwhile, often producing better outcomes for all.
Across these categories, the top ranking countries by number of Pencils are:
United States - 33 Pencils
United Kingdom - 31 Pencils
Germany - 11 Pencils
Japan and France - 9 Pencils each
The top ranking companies for these categories, by number of Pencils are:
Jung von Matt AG - 6 Pencils
Dentsu, Inc. - 5 Pencils
Apple, Cossette Toronto, Mother London and TBWA\Paris - 4 Pencils each
The total number of Pencils in each category are:
Impact: 18 Pencil Winners
Impact: 3 White, 4 Graphite and 10 Wood
Side Hustle: 2 Pencil Winners
Side Hustle: 2 Wood
Next: 5 Pencil Winners
Next Creative: 2 Next Pencil
Next Designer: 2 Next Pencil
Next Director: 1 Next Pencil
Craft: 104 Pencil Winners
Animation: 1 Yellow, 6 Graphite, 9 Wood
Casting: 2 Yellow, 1 Graphite, 1 Wood
Cinematography: 2 Graphite, 3 Wood
Direction: 2 Yellow, 2 Graphite, 6 Wood
Editing: 1 Yellow, 1 Graphite, 4 Wood
Illustration: 1 Yellow, 1 Graphite, 15 Wood
Photography: 2 Yellow, 3 Graphite, 6 Wood
Production Design: 1 Yellow, 1 Graphite
Sound Design & Use of Music: 1 Yellow, 5 Graphite, 7 Wood
Typography: 2 Yellow,4 Graphite, 8 Wood
Visual Effects: 2 Graphite, 4 Wood
For information on the Pencil winning entries from across the Impact categories, please see the D&AD website.
The Impact categories highlight work that explores some of the most important issues defining our world today and demonstrates how creative thinking can be a force for driving positive change, in the belief that purpose can enhance business success and value, alongside promoting collective responsibility for the global sustainability agenda.
Introduced last year, the Side Hustle category reflects the increasing number of creatives applying their skills and personal passions to side projects. From creating new businesses to developing initiatives to address social and environmental issues, this category aims to spotlight world class creativity beyond people’s day jobs.
The Next categories award emerging creatives, designers, directors and illustrators to recognise the next generation of creative talent. The platform seeks to recognise their work and showcase their ideas to creative influencers, mentors and agencies.
Today’s Pencil announcement includes 16 out of the total 34 categories. Further Pencil winners announcements are scheduled for 16th June, 16th July, 8th September and 10th September. While hosting a 2020 ceremony is not possible due to Coronavirus, D&AD will be announcing this year’s Pencil winners via their website and in a social campaign designed by Studio Dumbar.
To celebrate the winners in the absence of a physical awards show, D&AD and Studio Dumbar have created a custom Instagram Stories augmented reality filter that reveals virtual Wood, Graphite, Yellow and White D&AD Pencils to the winners. While they can’t take to the stage this year to accept their Pencils, winners can enjoy a moment of celebration by being virtually awarded through the D&AD Pencil Unboxing filter, accessible through a private link that is being emailed to the winners.
Tim Lindsay, D&AD chairman, commented: “Judging by the first round of Pencil winners, it is clear that it has been another outstanding year for global creativity. At a time when the world is in crisis, it feels poignant to begin with a broad spectrum of categories and celebrate the craft, impact and potential our creative community has to offer. It is hugely encouraging to see the progressive and vibrant direction that our industry is heading towards, and D&AD are excited to announce further Pencil winners across the coming weeks.”
D&AD this year continues to platform the most exceptional work from the past 12 months, following the same rigorous judging process that holds creativity to the highest standards. Famously tough to win, there are no quotas for D&AD Awards, meaning that the number of awarded entries fluctuates each year. In some years, no Black Pencils - the highest creative accolade - are awarded. The highest ever awarded in one year currently stands at seven.
Winning work will not only receive an esteemed D&AD Pencil, it will also be featured in the D&AD Annual and online archive – the definitive guide for creatives all around the world.
