Who Were the Winners at D&AD 2016?

The 54th D&AD Judging Week has come to a close. 749 Pencils have been in awarded in total, decided by juries made up of over 200 of the world’s top creatives. 

Entrants can visit click here to see if they've won a Pencil, but they will have to wait until the Awards Ceremony at Battersea Evolution on the 19 May to see what kind - Wood, Graphite, Yellow, White or Black. 

The inaugural D&AD Festival also enters its second day, with speakers including Wayne Hemingway, founder of Red or Dead, YouTube’s Global Head of Culture and Trends Kevin Allocca and designer Kate Dawkins taking the stage today at the Old Truman Brewery, east London. 

514 Pencils were awarded on the final day of judging, with juries returning results for: Art Direction (22), Book Design (17); Branded Film Content and Entertainment (26); Branding (26); Digital Design (26); Digital Marketing (38); Direct (35); Film Advertising (51); Film Advertising Crafts (61); Graphic Design (56); Media (30); Music Videos (18); Outdoor Advertising (45); Packaging Design (17); Product Design (19); Spatial Design (10); and Writing for Advertising (17).

Top ranking countries by Pencils won are:

1st: United Kingdom - 217 Pencils

2nd: United States - 143 Pencils

3rd: France - 48 Pencils

4th: Japan - 44 Pencils

Joint 5th: Brazil and New Zealand - 30 Pencils

7th: Australia - 29 Pencils

8th: Singapore - 28 Pencils

9th: Germany - 25 Pencils

Joint 10th: UAE and Colombia - 14 Pencils 

The top ranking agencies by Pencils won are: 

1st: Grey London - 15 Pencils

Joint 2nd: AMV BBDO and R/GA and BBDO New York - 12 Pencils

5th: Dentsu Tokyo - 11 Pencils

Joint 6th: Ogilvy & Mather London and Droga5 and Y&R Auckland and Ogilvy & Mather Singapore - 10 Pencils

Joint 10th: Google and FCB Chicago and Leo Burnett Chicago - 8 Pencils

After coming joint fourth in the rankings last year, Grey London has taken poll position with 15 Pencils, whilst agencies including AMV DDBO, R/GA and BBDO New York also maintain spots near the top of the table. The in-house team at Google has also enjoyed a successful year, joining advertising agencies in the top 10 with a total of 8 Pencils.

All 749 Pencils will appear in the 54th D&AD Annual published later this year.

There are no quotas for awards at D&AD. Therefore the number of awarded entries fluctuates year to year. Some years no Black Pencils are awarded: the record currently stands at seven. Traditionally the toughest of the awards shows, the judging process is famously rigorous, with the juries only selecting work they believe is truly exceptional. 

D&AD President Andy Sandoz commented: “Black Pencil judging takes place today and is one of the most anticipated - and rigorous - sessions at D&AD. It is also the one that is the most difficult for our jury foremen, because selecting the best of the best from what is already a list of world-beating work is an almost impossible task. I’m excited to see which work, if any, claims a coveted Black Pencil. 

Today at the D&AD Festival, an exhibition of this year’s submitted work opens for everyone to see. You can view some of the 26,000 pieces of entered work and be inspired by the crème de la crème of global creativity.”

D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay commented: “A look at the list of this year’s D&AD winners shows how talent in the creative industries is now truly global. There are some notable additions to the top ten nations with the UAE and Colombia winning an impressive 14 pencils each. We have been impressed by the standard of work entered this year and look forward to seeing the final Pencil rankings at the Ceremony on May 19.”