D&AD has unveiled the shortlisted entries across the Advertising, Culture, Design, Impact and Next categories, following the second and final stage of 2021 D&AD Awards judging. The news follows the first round of shortlists announced last week, amidst robust submission figures after a year of unprecedented challenges for the creative sector. The entries this year have not only surpassed expected numbers but also continue to show the quality of work being produced within the industry.
Every year, the D&AD Awards categories evolve to best represent the creative and cultural landscape within which work is being produced. The last year has seen unprecedented digital acceleration and adoption of new technologies reflected in the addition of new categories including E-Commerce and Gaming, both receiving considerable numbers of entries that exceed the figures of some of the more traditional categories. The strong submissions within these categories echo wider changes within society as a result of global lockdown which has caused a permanent shift in the way we live, work and connect.
890 Entries have been shortlisted for the Awards across 28 categories spanning Advertising, Culture, Design, Impact and Next. Pencil awards will be bestowed across two separate virtual ceremonies on May 26 and 27.
Across these categories, the top ranking countries by number of shortlisted entries are:
- United States – 277 entries
- United Kingdom – 152 entries
- France – 50 entries
- Brazil – 42 entries
- Australia and Germany – 35 entries
- Canada – 30 entries
- China – 29 entries
- Sweden – 23 entries
- Japan – 20 entries
The top ranking companies for these categories, by number of shortlisted entries are:
- Africa – 18 entries
- DDB Chicago – 12 entries
- AMV BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York – 11 entries
- BETC Paris, DDB Germany, FCB New York and McCann London – 10 entries
The total number of entries shortlisted in each category are:
- Book Design – 28 entries
- Branding – 74 entries
- Design Transformation – 5 entries
- Digital – 54 entries
- Digital Design – 26 entries
- Direct – 50 entries
- E-Commerce – 21 Entries
- Entertainment – 24 Entries
- Experiential – 35 Entries
- Film – 63 Entries
- Future Impact – 14 Entries
- Gaming – 15 Entries
- Graphic Design – 69 Entries
- Impact – 35 Entries
- Integrated – 19 Entries
- Magazine & Newspaper Design – 26 Entries
- Media – 50 Entries
- Music Videos – 37 Entries
- Next Creative – 5 Entries
- Next Designer – 4 Entries
- Next Director – 6 Entries
- Next Illustrator – 3 Entries
- Next Photographer – 1 Entry
- Packaging Design – 43 Entries
- PR – 63 Entries
- Press & Outdoor – 60 Entries
- Product Design – 15 Entries
- Radio & Audio – 20 Entries
- Spatial Design – 10 Entries
- Type Design – 15 Entries
All 890 shortlisted pieces are showcased here.
2021 submissions have seen a substantial increase in entries from nearly all regions. Western Asia & India have seen the most significant change with an uplift of 47% since 2019, followed by Oceania (42%), USA and Canada (41%), Latin America (28%), U.K.(22%), Africa (19%), Europe (12%) and China (9%). In addition, 20% of this year’s submissions came from new entrants.
Tim Lindsay, chairman at D&AD, commented: “It is inspiring to see such a vast amount of incredible work submitted to this year’s awards, despite the challenges that have been placed upon the industry during the pandemic. This year’s full shortlist exemplifies the resolve of the creative community and presents the very best in global talent. The introduction of exciting growth categories such as Gaming and E-commerce demonstrates our pledge to elevate the most innovative, forward thinking work being produced within the creative industry. We are now looking forward to the upcoming virtual ceremonies which will give us the chance to find out which of these works industry experts feel have best encapsulated the creative excellence worthy of a coveted Pencil.”
D&AD has partnered with Asana, a leading management platform for teams, who are supporting the 2021 Awards. Following the D&AD Awards Ceremony, D&AD will be delving into the learnings and insights from this year’s winning work, including publishing a series of interviews with creative leaders, which aim to discover how to lead a successful creative team, made possible by Asana’s sponsorship.
D&AD are also launching the Jury Insights film series, a program of panel discussions–released fortnightly from June 8–in which judges from select categories will discuss what makes Pencil-winning work, alongside the trends and themes from the 2021 Awards.
Changes Afoot For Cannes Lions 2025, Including Increasing Festival Access For Underserved Communities
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is putting plans in motion for its 72nd edition, set to take place from June 16-20, 2025 in Cannes, France. The Festival has announced that it will double funding to provide €2m (some $2,150,000) worth of complimentary passes to underrepresented talent and underserved communities through its Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Pass, returning for a second year.
Frank Starling, chief DEI officer, Lions, said the increased investment was “crucial to continue to drive progress for both Cannes Lions and the industry.” Starling added, “The ERA pass plays an important role in fostering a global representation of talent within the creative communications industry at Cannes Lions, and to date our funded opportunities have reached creatives in 46 countries globally. With the Festival being the destination for everyone in the business of creativity, we recognize the importance of creating equitable access to it, and this is why we’re prioritizing increased representation from the Global South to support a greater range of voices and perspectives from the region at the Festival.” Applications for the ERA pass are open now and close on December 5, 2025. More details can be found here.
With submissions into the Cannes Lions Awards opening on January 16, 2025, innovations to the Awards have also been announced today. Glass: The Lion for Change celebrates 10 years since its introduction. The Glass Lion was launched to champion work that used creativity to drive a shift towards more positive, progressive and gender-aware communication, and Marian Brannelly, global... Read More