Inside the Jury Room: APAC Jurors Select Top 4 to Join Global Finalists

Four compelling campaigns from Australia, India and New Zealand were selected by The Immortal Awards APAC judges on November 18 to advance to the final round. They will be judged together with finalists from North America, Europe, LATAM and MEA. The final round of judging will take place at The Mill in New York on 1 December.

The shortlisted campaigns flew the flag for hard-hitting causes such as road safety, financial independence for women and empowerment for transgender children, including a story of rejection. It was a brutal shortlist from 15 worthy contenders that stood tall in their own rights. But the judges acknowledged that while there are many reasons for shortlisting each of the works, the ultimate question to be asked is: “Does this piece of work deserve to be immortalised and to serve as a benchmark and reference point for years to come?” 

The eight APAC jurors deliberating over this year’s selections were: Ali Shabaz (CCO, M&C Saatchi Group Singapore); Anny Havercroft (head of business marketing AUNZ, TikTok); Dissara Udomdej (founder & CCO, Yell Bangkok); Eugene Cheong (CCO, DDB Asia); Leisa Wall (co-CCO FCB NZ); Melissa Chan (regional MD, Craft WW); Robert Galluzzo (founder and CEO, FINCH); and Tara Ford (CCO, The Monkeys).

During the judging, it was clear that for a region as diverse as Asia Pacific, there are many differing viewpoints and considerations as to what is creative and impactful. The question of cross-cultural appeal and understanding was certainly a dividing factor, which led the judges to highlight the importance of context and whether a work can be appreciated outside of its own market.

In a competition such as The Immortal Awards, the purposeful omission of categories for winners raises the bar even higher. Therefore, the elements of globalisation in application and the universality of creative ideas become vital considerations. 

Award submissions selected to move forward to the Finals are:

• Matilda Bay Brewery - Rejected Ales (Howatson+Company)

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank - Shagun Ka Lifafa (McCann India)

• UNAIDS - Unbox Me (FCBUlka)

• Waka Kotahi New Zealand - Toll Booth (FCB NZ)

Award submissions that were considered during the APAC judging were:

• Apple - Shot on iPhone - Chinese New Year - The Comeback (TBWA\ Media Arts 

  Lab Shanghai)

• Apple - Shot on iPhone - Life Is But A Dream (TBWA\ Media Arts Lab Tokyo)

• Apple - Shot on iPhone - Those That Follow (TBWA\ Media Arts Lab Singapore)

• Battlegrounds Mobile India - Machine-Gun Mouth (DDB Mudra Group)

• Breast Cancer Foundation - Ahead Of Time (DDB Singapore)

• Cadbury Celebrations - Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad (Wavemaker India)

• Dot Incorporation - Dot Pad. The First Smart Tactile Graphics Display 

  (SERVICEPLAN GERMANY)

• Five Star - The Movies That Made (From) Us (BBDO Bangkok)

• Maxx Flash - The Killer Pack (VMLY&R India)

• Netflix Money Heist - The Eyeballs Heist (Wunderman Thompson Bangkok)

• ROLLiN' - Larry (Bear Meets Eagle On Fire)

• SOS Children's Villages India - Chatpat (FCBUlka)

• Stayfree - Daughter's Day (DDB Mudra Group)

Says awards director Paul Monan, "The APAC jury session was our fifth and final regional session of the year, with the finalists rounding out our global shortlist. It's a huge, diverse region and that was reflected in the shortlist of work that was discussed on the day. The task for our jury was to decide which of the work best reflected APAC this year, which was no mean feat. 

“The bar is high and there were some brilliant pieces of work that didn't quite reach the standard our jury set. I have to thank them all for their time and effort judging this year, the conversations were at times tough but we've ended up with four super strong pieces of work going through to the final, global round. We're looking forward to seeing how well they do against the best of the rest globally in December."