VR for Dementia Sufferers Wins New 'Side Hustle' D&AD Festival Award

Dan Cole, co-founder of The Wayback, a series of virtual reality short films designed to help people with Alzheimer’s, has been announced as the winner of the inaugural Side Hustle category at this year’s D&AD Awards.  

Following a live pitch to a panel of successful creatives and investors at D&AD Festival, The Wayback was selected as the winner for it’s creativity and clearly passionate origins. Described as “a tool we all wish we’d had when our own loved ones were living with dementia,” the films recreate positive moments from the past to trigger memories and spark precious conversations with carers and loved ones.

The Side Hustle category is new to the 2019 Awards and has been introduced to reflect 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.

As the winner of the category, Dan Cole will receive mentoring from the judges and Nikky Lyle Creative, the opportunity to attend a D&AD Masterclass or D&AD Digital Campus course, and will have his work listed in the D&AD Annual alongside all the winners from this year’s awards.